


it changes, but it all stays the same

by hpyu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Post-Game, PostwickShipping, Rivals to Lovers, They’re so very awkward, gloria overthinks, hop is trying his best, hopyuu, idk what else to tag, they do be oblivious tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 13:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22837123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hpyu/pseuds/hpyu
Summary: With just a few days left until Gloria moves to Wyndon for her new champion responsibilities, things are changing— and they’re changing very quickly.A trip and a fall that unleashed a sudden realization of new feelings. Or were those feelings there all along?
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 37
Kudos: 134





	1. Trip and Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I initially wrote this for fun since hopyuu is my favorite pairing ever, but I ended up having a lot more fun than anticipated and wanted to put it somewhere for the world to see!! I definitely wasn’t planning on publishing this heheh
> 
> Postwickshipping stannies I hope you enjoy reading!! Ily

_ Change. _

It’s taken with a different approach depending on the kind of person experiencing it. Some people can despise every aspect of it, thus shutting it away for as long as they can possibly allow themselves to do so; while others welcome it with open arms, enveloped in curiosity and yearning for something different to happen. 

But change is never easy. It takes a while to get used to a new stage in life, and it’s hard to get rid of the dread of it. The sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize that things will never be the same- it makes you feel lost.

Lost. 

Lost, lost, lost, lost, lost.

The same word repeated itself over and over inside of Gloria’s head, who lay on her futon at 8:17 in the morning. Ever since her father came back from the Hoenn region, she volunteered to move into the small space in the upstairs of her house. It was a little bit cramped, but to Gloria, it felt homey and cozy. The light from the window shone inside brightly. The chirping of Rookidee echoed nearby, and she could hear the distant noises from the Wooloo. The usual, she thought to herself. But it just didn’t feel right this time. 

It had been a couple of weeks since she beat Leon for his throne as the Champion, a challenge deemed almost impossible by the inhabitants of the region of Galar. If the gym challenge itself wasn’t already difficult for even the finest of trainers, no one expected a fourteen year old girl from a small town to take the title of Galar’s most important trainer. She was nameless. But in no time, a young Gloria became a national treasure.

Soon enough she’d have to move to Wyndon and begin to act like a proper champion, something that terrified her. The longer she thought about it, the more the concept of having to abandon her comforting home and family seemed more awful; however, it couldn’t be helped. She was now responsible for so many things at once: so many people, so many battles, so many Pokémon. It was time for her to beat challengers, formulate new strategies, and help out with research around the region. As the greatest trainer in all of Galar, it was time for Gloria to do her job. By herself. All alone.

Her mind was a bit depressing, she feared entering a world full of expectations and being relied on by everyone, yet she couldn’t let them down. She felt so unbearably lonely. Her thoughts kept on spiraling further and further down a hole, and it was hard for her to-

Tap, tap, tap.

Gloria’s thinking was interrupted by the sound of tapping on glass.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap, tap.

She slowly got up from her futon, pokeball in hand. The young champion felt a slight shiver down her spine. What could possibly be on the other side of that window?

Ah. _ That’s it. _She slid the window open and stared straight ahead.

“Hi mate!” His vivid golden eyes stared right back at Gloria, and a sense of warmth and comfort took over; she was no longer thinking about being alone. 

He was there again.

_ He always was. _She was never lonely.

Hop cheerily spoke to her. His smile was beaming, like usual. Nothing about that bright expression changed at all since they were kids. 

“Good morning” Gloria yawned. It was fairly early for her, although the dew had already left the grass and the sunshine had begun to get more and more intense. “Why didn’t you just come inside to wake me up?” She asked her rival; she was struggling to keep her eyes open. It had been a while since Gloria had gotten a decent night’s sleep, for her thoughts get louder and lonelier during the evenings. She was exhausted.

Hop noticed her lack of energy immediately. They’d known each other for as long as he could remember; there’s no way he wouldn’t pick up on something as obvious as that. He knew her far too well. 

“Funny story really,” he started. Hop wasn’t particularly straightforward when talking about anything that interested him. His passion for the theme often drove him into off topic details, and his short attention span and excitable personality didn’t exactly help his case.

“I woke up this morning to my stomach growling, but the food in our fridge wasn’t really too appealing.” He continued. “Lee ate all the good cereal again…” he said with a pout. 

Gloria couldn’t help but crack a soft smile. There was something about him, her childhood friend, that made his attitude contagious. He had always been fun to be around, and she was _ always around him. _

“And then I remembered how long it’s been since we’ve had breakfast together! So I thought I’d show up and we could make something together like we used to…” He paused for a second. His face became a pinker shade as he brought his arm up to scratch the back of his neck. 

“But I forgot your parents are at Circhester! And the door was locked for some reason, so instead I climbed this tree to-“

“Huh? You climbed what?” Gloria interrupted. “Oh.” She was so tired, she completely forgot he couldn’t just reach the second story’s window on his own. She shut her eyes and then widened them, feeling a little bit disappointed as to how in the world she didn’t notice that Hop was just sitting atop a branch.

They stared back at each other for a second or two, and flinched at the sound of a...

Crack? 

“_ Ah _.”

It was definitely a crack.

“Wait hold on, that’s absolutely not safe-“ Gloria’s words were hushed by the branch loudly tearing, dropping her childhood friend as well as a handful of berries down on the garden. However, being in this situation multiple times before as kids who did nothing but climb on things together and play games on top, their reaction time had become immediate. Instantly, Gloria reached out her hands to hold on to Hop’s arm, effectively stopping him from hitting the ground. She let out a sigh of relief.

“That was a close one, mate!” Hop looked down, letting out a chuckle before looking back at her, his attitude completely unfazed. “How ‘bout helping me back up?” 

_ He’s really not scared of anything, _ Gloria giggled softly as she thought to herself. It was true, Hop was always right behind her, encouraging her to not be afraid. He was there in times of sadness and joy, fear and bravery. He was always there. It had _ always been that way. _ He meant the whole world to her, and there she stood, holding on to his arm.

She started to notice more weight. It was only natural, they were both growing. But she couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. Things were changing, but they were changing together. _ They were in this together. _

“Y-Yeah! Hold on a sec!” Gloria snapped back to reality. Hop stretched out his other arm, met by her wrist. It took her a lot more strength than she anticipated to pull him back up, which felt new to her. She used to be stronger than he was back when they were younger; perhaps she was out of practice, it _ had _ been a while since they climbed something together. Hop taught her initially, and she was immediately good at it, paying attention to the fastest ways to climb and different centers of balance. She’s always been impressively speedy at picking up new skills. 

Although she had a hard time doing so, Gloria finally pulled his arms back up until he could reach the window on his own, and he did the rest. Hop firmly gripped the windowsill and pushed himself upwards. His plan was to gracefully jump inside the house from the window, so he did. For a second. Before realizing that the window was smaller than he thought it was. Hop’s foot got caught in the frame, sending him flying inside of the champion’s cramped loft. 

“W-Woah!”

He knocked many things over in the process, a couple of books, pens, a bedside table, a lamp… oh. And her. He knocked Gloria over, too. 

A loud thud could be heard inside the house. It wasn’t a very sturdy floor, so the whole loft shook briefly before it all went back to complete silence. It wasn’t the elegant entrance they had both hoped for at all.

Gloria’s eyes fluttered open an instant later, and she found herself on the floor. More specifically, _ pinned down _ to the floor _ . _Her hair was everywhere, but she felt like she couldn’t move because of pure and sheer embarrassment of what was going on. Gloria’s face turned ten different shades of red all at once. She parted her lips as if to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.

_ He was on top of her. _

Hop obliviously stared at his best friend’s face. She seemed flustered, her eyes were wide open and she had a funny expression. He breathed in and quietly tucked the hair covering her face behind her ear with a half-lidded gaze, her skin soft to his touch. He couldn’t help but notice every small detail about her face; from her hazy eyes to her soft lips, and everything in between. She looked just like she did in their younger days, but at the same time, she seemed different. Hop was zoning off inside his own head, thinking about the past and the future. He didn’t want Gloria to leave. He wanted to keep her by her side forever, because that’s how it’s always been. He felt the sudden urge to be with her until the end of time. Like this. All of the time.

“H-Hop…” Gloria‘s eyes drifted off to the side.

Her voice quickly brought him back to reality from whatever other planet his mind was on. He paused for a moment, and after realizing what he had just done, his body violently shot upwards. 

“A-ah! Gloria, I’m-“ he took a couple of steps back, tripping over a stuffed Eevee and falling over. His face turned completely red as he covered it with his hands. “I’m so sorry! I promise I didn’t- I don’t know what came over me!” His back turned to her, struggling to speak in full sentences. He thought he was going to faint out of pure embarrassment. “I swear I didn’t mean to fall on you like that! I-It was an accident!” His voice cracked, and at that moment he kinda wanted to die. 

Gloria impulsively smiled, something that Hop couldn’t see as he was too busy drowning in shame. Quite frankly, she thought it was adorable. 

As Hop’s flustered self spewed out a string of apologies, Gloria’s mind was somewhere else. It was a trivial matter, but she felt curious as to why, out of every time something like this has happened, this time was different. _ This time, she didn’t mind it at all. _

Hop has never been good at keeping boundaries. That’s something she’s always known about him. He’s oblivious to a lot of the physical contact he makes, but it was only natural. He really cared about Gloria. Things such as tightly squeezing her in a hug or patting her head softly happened on the daily, and although it was terribly embarrassing, something about seeing his expression this time made her feel different. 

She dropped back down on her futon with a soft sigh and stretched out her arms. Hop looked back at her, and she smiled.

“It’s alright.” She told him, softening her gaze. He turned back to face her, although at this point they were in opposite corners of the room. When did something like this become so awkward? There was a brief pause before she began to speak again. “I’m gonna go get ready, you can go downstairs and make tea if you want. I’ll be there in a bit, and we can start making food.” Her voice grew quieter, more relaxed than usual. 

“Y-Yeah! I can do that” Hop said weakly. He was fidgeting with the hemline on his sleeve. “I’ll wait for you.”

The downstairs of Gloria’s house seemed vast and spacious compared to the lower ceiling and cramped space in her attic-loft-room hybrid. Hop sighed as he climbed down the stairs, a little uneasy. Very uneasy. He walked over to the kitchen to distract himself from his own mind.

_ What in the world is going on with me? _ He shut his eyes as he opened a cabinet. Their mugs were in their usual places. He took them out and set them on the counter. Hesitantly, he took out the kettle to start boiling water. As he put tea leaves in the small sifter, he couldn’t help but think about it. About her.

Gloria. 

Usually, Hop didn’t care for physical contact. It’s something he just grew out of eventually. What changed? Why did just touching her face make his heart pound so much? 

_ It’s normal. It happens once you grow up. _

But it wasn’t like that. At least not this time. It was different. He’d always cared about her, always been by her side through thick and thin, but ever since he lost against her in the league, he’s noticed how much more he actually cared than he initially thought. He finds himself thinking about her constantly; how much sleep she’s gotten, what she’s eaten, how her day was. 

There was also the thought in the very back of his head, the one that haunted him and crept up on him when he was by himself.

_ What would happen once Gloria left? _

He sighed quietly. He knew she wasn’t going to leave forever, there were still the chances of short visits back to Postwick, and technology was developed enough for them to video chat whenever. It was going to work out, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same. He wouldn’t be able to see her face everyday, her smile. It was always that smile.

Once the water was hot enough, Hop poured it into their cups. He decided he wanted to be nice this time and prepared Gloria’s tea himself, with a teaspoon of honey and some milk, like she enjoys it. He knew how much to put in by heart. It was routine at this point. 

Gloria stepped downstairs as quietly as she could, careful not to make a single sound. Cautiously tiptoeing into the kitchen, she held back a giggle as the unexpecting Hop blankly stared out the window. 

Sneaking up behind him, she viciously struck his sides with her fingers, making him jump. He turned around in shock, and just from the look on his face, Gloria realized she’d made a huge mistake. She thought she should probably start running before Hop retaliated. 

There was a minuscule pause before she quickly broke into a sprint, and he ran right after her, with a terrifying smile and one goal in mind. A slightly panicked laughter could be heard from inside the living room as Gloria attempted to escape from her best friend’s grasp, but it was no use. He was too fast. Suddenly, he jumped and pulled Gloria onto the couch by her waist, tightly wrapping his arms around her to make sure she couldn’t get away. 

Tickling Hop was a capital offense, and once you committed the crime, retaliation soon followed. And Gloria knew she couldn’t get out of this one.

Hop tickled her until she was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. And even though her lungs ached, she found comfort in knowing that Hop was smiling. An evil smile it was, but it was bright. It made it all worth it. 

Once he was done teasing her, Hop leaned back on the couch, a still giggling Gloria beside him. He couldn’t help but blush at the sound of her laugh. 

“Ah, my stomach hurts!” Gloria gasped for air, smiling at him. “You have no chill.” She moved a bit closer to Hop.

“You know you can’t just tase me like that and get away with it” he snickered back at her. “Gloria, you totally did that to yourself.” He sighed, softening his eyes as he looked away. 

“I guess you’re right. Seeing you flinch like that is so funny though” Gloria teased. “It won’t be over anytime soon.”

Hop felt a sense of nostalgia throughout his body. Her laugh. It was his favorite sound. And in mere days it was going to be taken away from him. It was moments like these, just sitting on the couch with her, talking. God, he was going to miss her so much. He began to realize how happy he felt next to her; how any doubt or issue within him was immediately healed because of her smile. How was he going to stop himself from feeling lonely when she leaves? When she’s not by his side, the way it’s always been?

He drove his attention to her again. “Then you’re gonna have to get faster” he imitated a Kalos accent as he childishly smiled at her “if you want to escape from the next attack~!” He poked her side lightly, triggering a rumble in her stomach. Gloria blushed in embarrassment as he chuckled. 

“Why don’t we go make some omelettes?” He said.

Hop quickly stood from the couch, turning around to help his friend up. _ Her hands were so soft. _ Gloria stood to walk back to the kitchen with him, looking up into his eyes. 

That’s right, _ up _.

She tenderly placed her hand on his head, messing up his dark hair. “You’re getting taller.” She spoke softly at him. A melancholic feeling took over her mind.

Things were changing. They were both growing, but they were growing together. 

And as long as they had each other, nothing could possibly matter more.


	2. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop figures things out, and Gloria is scared of thunder.

Golden eyes worryingly stared at the ceiling, or, more accurately, at the pitch black darkness. Hop’s mind jumped from thought to thought, diminishing his chances of getting a decent amount of sleep. He was nervous. It was storming outside, the sound of raindrops against the roof resonated in the room. 

And he couldn’t stop thinking. 

Of her.

_ Gloria. _

He knew he had to sleep soon. His own mind was tearing him from the inside. Hop couldn’t stop himself from rolling over to catch a glimpse of her, even if she had her back turned to him. After a long day of watching movies, eating snacks, and just hanging out, Gloria had the brilliant idea that he spend the night at her house. 

Perhaps it was selfish of her to ask. She wanted to enjoy his presence for as long as she could before she wouldn’t have the chance. But as much as he teased her about it, Hop felt the same way. Even if it was doing nothing, he wanted to do nothing with her. 

Which brought him here. Although he didn’t mind the sound of thunder at all, he couldn’t help but hold his breath whenever he saw a ray of lighting. Gloria hated storms. Ever since they were kids, she would hold her breath in the few instants between the moment she saw the light and the loud rumbling that followed. She said it helped her calm down. Hop just thought it made things more stressful, but he still did it every time it stormed, for some reason. 

_ Just an old habit.  _

Even though they were all grown up, Gloria’s fear of thunder never really went away. He was glad that at least she was asleep, she’d be freaking out if she could hear how loud and bright the storm was. 

But his thoughts were much louder than any storm. 

He needed to talk to someone about it, the way he felt. Hop needed solid answers. And what better person to confide in than the one whose job is to answer his questions?

He rolled back over, taking out his Rotomphone from his duffel bag. 

“Hey, Sonia.” He texted. 

Unexpectedly, she answered immediately.

“Do you  _ know _ what time it is? What could you possibly need at this hour?” She replied. People always said that you can’t hear a person’s tone through text, but it was too obvious with Sonia. Her personality was too intense.

“I need your help with something. Do you have time?”

“Of course.” As much as Sonia complained, she cared a lot for him. Having been so close to Leon for so long, Hop was like the little brother she never had. They’d grown especially closer over Hop’s new profession, seeing each other nearly everyday. It was nice having someone else around, and his personality felt especially refreshing.

Another lightning beam struck. He held his breath before typing, then deleting the text, and then typing it out again.

“Please help me figure out why I feel like this” he texted her. 

They had a long conversation. Sonia was surprisingly attentive, even if it was one in the morning. Hop poured his heart out, telling the professor everything he knew about his feelings.

The way he felt when he saw Gloria. How his heart would beat ten times faster the second he heard her laughter, saw her smile. That smile of hers, how it made him feel like he could do anything. He told Sonia about the movies, the books, the lyrics that made him think of his childhood friend. He was always thinking about her. 

Sonia smiled. Of course she knew what was going on; everyone did. Everyone except for Hop and Gloria, that is. They were both so painfully oblivious to it all, and she thought it was the peak of comedy.

They were still just kids after all.

Yet Hop kept going. He talked about her face, how pretty her eyes were and how soft her skin was. It was so soft, he wanted to hold on to her forever. How sweet her voice was, how gentle her touch felt.

Gloria was flawless in his eyes. She meant the whole world to him. 

When he thought about having to let go of her, it made him angry. How dare Galar take her away from him, none of them had what they both had. He didn’t want to share her with anyone else. She was-

“Yeah I think I know just what’s going on.” Sonia interrupted his typing. “You’re just in love, little man.” 

“W-what?” Hop quietly gasped. He knew he loved Gloria, but there’s a big difference between loving someone and  _ being in love _ with them. 

But the more he explored the thought, the more sense it made. He looked over his shoulder. She was still the same, but he saw her differently this time. And then it hit him.

He had fallen for her- and he had fallen  _ hard. _

The sudden urge to feel her body against his made sense now. The way he blushed around her soft laughs began explaining itself to him. Why, suddenly, every bit of physical contact felt more awkward but millions of times more important.

And he finally figured out the feeling that had been tearing him up from the very inside of his mind: jealousy. But he wasn’t jealous of Gloria, impossible. He was jealous of the entire region of Galar. For the first time in a while, he felt selfish. He didn’t want to share her with everyone else. She may be their champion, but she was his world. He wasn’t going to let anyone take the most important person in his life away from him. He wanted her by his side, like it had always been. When was the last time she  _ wasn’t  _ with him? 

The storm grew louder. 

“I guess you’re right” he said to Sonia.

She smirked behind her screen. “Of course I am. You’re just not the brightest when it comes to your own emotions. When do you think this started?”

Hop knew exactly what to answer. 

It was the second he challenged her at the Pokémon League. Seeing her face as she yelled out commands such as Moonblasts and Hydro Pumps; her expression was completely different from anything he’d seen before. He wanted to make her smile that way again; to see her face light up like that one more time, even if it meant sacrificing everything. That day changed his life forever. Hop knew that the only way for her to smile like that all the time was for her to become the champion. Unhesitatingly, after he lost, he gave up the dream he had been working towards since he was a toddler, for he knew that Gloria wanted it too. She deserved it far more than he did. She deserved the entire world. 

Still, Hop was hurt. It was hard to live knowing that he failed at fulfilling his childhood dream. But after losing to Gloria, there was only one thing he wanted: to make her smile. And if that meant he had to quit his goal, then so be it.  _ She was his new dream.  _ And this time, he wasn’t going to give up.

“Thanks, Sonia” he messaged her again.

“You should get some rest,” Sonia told him. “I have to get up early tomorrow, but I’m glad I could help out.”

He smiled, tucking his Rotomphone back into his bag. It made sense now.

“Hey, Hop?” 

He listened. The voice was coming from behind him, a hushed whisper, but a voice nonetheless. One he immediately recognized. He felt a poke on his back. “You up?” 

Gloria.

Without turning around, he replied. “Yeah. Is everything okay?”

Gloria cracked a smile, relieved. “It’s storming out.” She spoke back to him softly, her voice felt sweet and airy. A bright ray of lightning hit, making the young girl almost jump. Hop felt sorry for her. He turned around so that they were facing each other, to which she instantly reacted to by holding onto him. 

“Do you need a hug?” He looked at her face. She nodded, teary eyed. 

Gloria felt a pair of legs tangling themselves around her hips, and his hands grabbed her waist to pull her closer towards himself. He wrapped his arms around her body into a tight hug. 

Usually, this much physical contact flustered Gloria, but curled up against her best friend, she felt safe. Her head tucked into his chest, she felt every single heartbeat. “Are you alright?” She asked. 

He was puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He thought Gloria knew he had never been the type to be afraid of storms.

“ _ Your heart is racing. _ ” Her voice was quiet.

His face turned pink. “O-oh! I’m just nervous, I guess.” 

Gloria frowned. She could tell he was. These past couple of days, she noticed Hop was uneasy, and not understanding why was driving her mad. She would overthink a thousand reasons why he’d be stressed, each one worse than the last. 

Then the worst possible reason of them all popped into her head.

“ _ What if it’s my championship? _ ” She thought to herself. 

It’s something she’s felt guilty about since the day she got it.

Gloria dwelled on the idea. In just a couple of minutes, she had stolen Hop’s life goal, his childhood dream, from him. It was all he wanted, the one thing he had always been so eager and passionate about. Even while in train rides, in Flying Taxis, walking together, it was all he’d ever talk about: he wanted to beat his brother and become the champion. The day she met him for the first time was no different. A little boy who couldn’t stay still; he had way too much of an excitable personality. “I’m gonna beat my bro ‘n become champion one day!” 

That sentence. She couldn’t shake off the thought of it. 

Leaving scared her. She was terrified of going out there and living Hop’s dream. Gloria was so afraid that he would resent her for it, but she knew that even if he did, he’d never show it. However, he hadn’t been like that before at all. Back when they were young, Hop was like a window. It was so easy to tell when he was angry or upset. He threw temper tantrums constantly, and would get so mad when things didn’t go his way.

But now it’s nothing like that. That’s something that changed entirely. Of course, sometimes his own body language and reactions would give things away, like how he jumped when he got scared or his blushy face and stuttering when he was embarrassed. But recently, Gloria had a hard time reading through him. During their journey, he’d smile at her and say it was alright when she beat him; however, she knew something was up. She just knew. She’d known him too long not to notice. 

_ It wasn’t alright at all,  _ she thought. 

_ If it was, he’d never give up that easily. _

What if Hop hated her? What if after everything that happened, he resented Gloria and was by her side out of a sense of pure obligation? Hop was the most important person in her life. Her mind mortified her.

But just millimeters next to her, Hop had different things in mind. She smelled so nice; he felt like he could drown in her scent. He was overjoyed. He wanted this moment to last forever; the warmth of their bodies pulled close together in a tight embrace as the sound of the rain could be heard late at night.

No Pokemon League and no region of Galar could take her away from him. They were together, holding onto each other with no intentions of letting go. 

Absentmindedly, Hop tightened the hug, and any thought of insecurity in Gloria’s mind dissolved. Right now mattered more. Their breaths were synced up. If time would stop right now, they wouldn’t mind it one bit. 

They were safe.

“Well…” Hop finally broke their brief silence.

“I guess I am a bit stressed about something.”

Gloria felt a knot in her throat. Of course there was something on his mind. What kind of friend was she for not being able to notice sooner? Useless, useless, useless. She thought she didn’t deserve him.

“What’s up?” Her voice broke. Hop didn’t notice, his eyes dozed off ahead of him.

“I’ve been thinking for a while now” his voice sounded scratchy. 

“About the future” Hop cleared his throat. “It’s a selfish thing to think about, I guess.”

His attitude was different this time; it wasn’t the loud, cheery and bright personality he displays all the time. It was another side of him. 

“You can tell me about it if you’d like” Gloria spoke softly. But she didn’t want to think about the future. It scared her to recall the she was going to be by herself soon.

Hop let out a sigh. “I just” he paused for a moment. “I don’t want you to leave. I wish you didn’t have to move to Wyndon, I want you to be here. With me. Like this.”

His voice was shaky. He didn’t think he could even say that out loud.

Unlike her friend, Gloria wasn’t as oblivious to little changes like that. The trembling in Hop’s voice was like a jab to her. It was a cruel reminder that all his problems were because of her.

_ “This is all your fault. He’s hurting, and it’s all because of you _ ” She thought to herself.

He continued. “I’m sorry if that’s a weird thing to say,” his laugh was weak, “but frankly, I have no clue what I’m going to do without you.” He took a deep breath.

“It stings a little. Knowing that you’ll be out there, having the time of your life without me.” Hop continued softly. “I don’t want things to change. I want to keep being next to you, but we both have different things to do. It can’t be helped.”

“It’ll take a while to get used to not being with you all the time.”

Gloria’s heart sank. Tears lingered on her eyes as she desperately tried to fight them back. She couldn’t let Hop see. He’d be more worried than he already is.

And this time, it finally hit her. She’d have to lead a daily life without him by her side. Things were going to change.

“H-Hop…” she breathed. There had to be a way to make him feel better, there always was. He wasn’t hard to impress.

She raked her hand through his hair. It felt so soft. Hop felt a small shiver down his spine. It was faint and subtle, basically forgettable, but it was there nevertheless. “It’ll be alright,” she reassured, “I’d rather you stay here working towards a new dream of yours than stress over something you have no control over” 

_ You don’t get it at all,  _ he thought.  _ How am I supposed to stay behind when you’re all I want now? _

He couldn’t say that to her.

“I know. I just wish I didn’t have to feel like this, it’d be nice if everything just stayed the same”

His words felt like stabs to Gloria. 

_ I’m being selfish, and it’s making him miserable. _ She couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

But she couldn’t dwell in her self-blame. She had to do something. 

“You have to feel it for it to go away.” She said, hesitantly. “Besides, it’s not like I’m never gonna see you again. I’ll visit Postwick as often as I can, and you can come see me in Wyndon whenever you feel like it.” She smiled against his shoulder, rubbing his back as she held on tighter. Hop’s heart almost jumped out of his chest, beating rapidly as he attentively listened to her voice. 

No matter how much distance was between them, it wouldn’t bring them apart. 

The silence was abruptly interrupted by the rumbling sound of thunder. Gloria gasped, and her whole body flinched.

“Ah! It’s okay! You’re safe. It’s going to be okay,” Hop couldn’t help but laugh a bit at how little he expected that beam of lightning. But what he said... it felt true this time. They were going to be okay.

As they lay next to each other, Gloria’s voice was quiet. Hop closed his eyes, and he smiled.

“We still have time,” she said.

...

“ _ It’s going to work out.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopyuu sleepover <3 i love them very much aaa i hope u guys like this chapter too!!


	3. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You don’t deserve him at all.”

It was late in the morning. The sun shone brightly, welcoming a refreshing breeze into Gloria’s bedroom from the open window. A couple of days had gone by, the date of the young champion’s moving day getting closer and closer. 

Suddenly, the latch on the floor opened, and two golden eyes peaked from below. 

“Glo!” A familiarly energetic voice startled Gloria. 

She quickly turned around to the voice’s owner. “H-Hop! Hi!” Her stutter was accompanied by a faint tint of peach on her cheeks, as well as a funny expression on her face. “You’re early…” 

Hop began to climb the ladder leading up to Gloria’s loft, slowly making himself into the room. “I should’ve called earlier, sorry! Is it okay with you?” He smiled brightly at her, and the champion felt her face turn a flush shade of pink.

How could she say no to a smile like that?

“Of course it’s okay,” her eyes softened. “I just look like a mess, that’s all.”

Hop snickered. “You always look like a mess,” he teased. 

Suddenly, he felt the mighty blow of a pillow against his head, a shot mercilessly fired by a smirking Gloria. The boy looked at her with a flustered expression on his face, and without breaking eye contact, he lowered his body and picked up the pillow, ruthlessly throwing it back at her.

The cushion hit her side, throwing her off balance and sending her to the ground, to Hop’s surprise. He ran over and kneeled next to her to check if she was okay. 

“Glo! Are you alright? I should’ve gone easier on you, I’m so so-“ his concern turned into confusion as he heard Gloria’s giggling. When he lowered his face to meet her eyes, he saw it; a devilish grin on her face, accompanied by the most evil look in her eyes. She had Hop right where she wanted him. Gloria took a tight grip on the pillow, and that’s when Hop knew that he was doomed. 

This was a full-fledged pillow  _ war. _

Before he could run away, she pulled him by his shirt and knocked him to the floor. He looked up at Gloria, who stood over him with the pillow in hand. Her gaze was sinister, almost scarier than a Gengar, staring right into his soul. Pillow fights were something Gloria took  _ very _ seriously. She had never gone easy on Hop, and she wasn’t about to start now. 

He knew he was about to get absolutely ended with a cushion, but he couldn’t help but grin at her. His thoughts wandered.  _ She’s so cute. _ She looked scary as ever, but she was  _ so cute. _

Gloria raised the pillow over her head, ready to strike back. 

And then she saw it. 

_ His smile. _ That stupid smile on his face. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Why did he have to  _ look like that? _ She couldn’t recall when it happened; it must have been some time after they received their fire badge in Motostoke. When Hop fought Bede, and lost. Ever since then, things weren’t the same. Gloria and Hop still battled and gave it their all, but it was different. She’d win, as usual, but she couldn’t stand looking at him afterwards, because he smiled at her. He always did. However, it wasn’t his energetic and beaming expression this time; it felt blank, almost empty.

_ It was a smile of defeat. _

His face triggered a reminder in the very back of her mind. The one thing she desperately tried to seal away forever, the source of her greatest guilt: she was taking  _ everything _ away from him. His dreams, his goals, his plans for the future were all crushed by Gloria; she kept succeeding, and he was hurting because of her. The worst part was that every single time she beat him, he smiled like that. She hated it. She hated knowing that he thought he wasn’t going to win this time. Or the next. Or  _ ever _ . 

Gloria suddenly thought about it: her battle in the semifinals. The roaring sound of thousands and thousands of people cheering for her and her opponent. The person she never wanted to fight ever again: Hop. It was a fierce battle, she saw moves and creative tactics she had never seen before. He effortlessly mastered Pokémon abilities, and she could tell he knew a lot about the type matchups he never ceased to talk about. Gloria’s face was beaming the whole time. She loved everything about battles, the adrenaline rush she felt every time a move was used; and although she felt uneasy about battling Hop, she smiled through it all. She was having fun.

He was good. 

_ But she was better. _

With a single Max Overgrowth, Gloria took out Inteleon, Hop’s final Pokémon. The audience cheered with a tormentous applause. It was an amazing battle. As they walked towards each other, she noticed his face. It was a new expression, one she had never seen before. And she had seen a  _ lot _ of him. It was a soft smile, his golden eyes glimmered, but he seemed hurt. 

“ _ Thank you,”  _ he said quietly, “ _ for being the one here with me.” _

In that instant, she understood.

_ He had given up. _

_ It’s all my fault. This is all my fault _ , the thoughts in her head grew louder with every passing second.

She was hurting him. Every time she took something away from him, she was convinced that she was slowly killing the fire in his eyes; his passion, his light, him. He was the single most important person in her life, and her own selfishness was making him unhappy. 

After the battle, she hung out in the empty locker room for a bit. She washed her hands, and when she looked in the mirror, she noticed a single tear streaming down her cheek. Immediately, it became more and more, until she was finally on the ground, bawling. Gloria reminisced on everything leading up to that point, her gym battles, the adventures in the wild area, exploring cities, the landscapes she saw, the Pokémon she registered. And in every single one of those memories, he was there. Hop was by her side,  _ the way it had always been _ . Memories of their journey crept up on her; the conversations they’d had on train rides, the curry they cooked together, their camping trips. It was all there, inside of Gloria’s head. He was always there for her, supporting her every move. 

And she was completely tearing him apart.

Gloria’s lonely sobs echoed in the empty locker room. Her wails grew louder. An intense sorrow was eating away at her heart. It was ironic. She wanted to win the league so badly, yet instead of celebrating her victory, she felt like she’d just lost everything. 

“Glo?” from the other side of the door, a voice spoke.

Hop.

She froze. She couldn’t let him see her like that. He can’t know.

“Are you in there?” He called out. “I could’ve sworn I heard something,” he muttered to himself. The stadium had closed almost half an hour ago; it was completely empty, yet some staff and trainers had yet to go home. “You said we’d meet at the front entrance, I have your drink with me” there was a silence.

_ I need to get out of here.  _ Gloria grew more desperate. She carefully stood up, determined to sneak out and meet him at the entrance once she had collected herself. A solid, plausible, completely reasonable plan. 

So she stood up, took one step, and immediately tripped over the air, knocking over a towel stand that loudly crashed into the floor. “ _ Are you serious _ ,” she whisper-shrieked. Hop knew she was in there. He walked into the locker room, only to find the winner of their battle hunched over the floor, completely disheveled. Gloria looked back at him, her face swollen with tears. She let out a single sob.

“H-Hop…” she whispered in shaky breaths. 

“Hop!” Gloria wailed out, her voice was breaking. Her cry echoed in the room.

That moment, he aggressively dropped his bag on the ground.  _ She needed him. _ Hop quickly rushed to her side; pulling her head into his chest and tightly wrapping his arms around her body. Gloria couldn’t hold her tears back any longer; she messily sobbed into her rival’s shoulder. Her frustration, her anger, her overwhelming sadness.

Her guilt. 

As she held onto his shirt, he ran his hand through her hair, trying his best to calm her down. Hop wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t hesitate to offer whatever comfort and support he could. “ _ Glo… _ ” Before he knew it, he was crying too. He was upset over his loss, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t that. It was her. She wasn’t okay at all. They cried for a long time. Their mutual feelings of grief, frustration, everything that had been bottled up to this point came out in the form of tears; raw emotion resonating against the lockers. 

Gloria ended up falling asleep on him, to which he had to giggle a bit.  _ Man, she really tired herself out. _ He propped her up against the wall and draped his jacket over her so that she could sleep upright while he gathered her belongings. Afterwards, he neatly folded her uniform and put it inside her backpack, as well as all of the fan letters inside of her locker. Hop smiled happily as he saw all of the support she was getting from other people; it warmed his heart to see that so many others were encouraging her to do her very best.  _ It’s what she deserves, _ he thought. When he was done cleaning up after her, he finally checked his phone. 

“Oh no.” 

A good twenty one texts and fourteen missed calls from Leon. He hesitantly pressed the call back button, to which his older brother picked up immediately. 

“Dude, where in the world  _ are you?”  _ Leon’s voice was aggressive. “Little man picked up!” Raihan could also be heard over the speaker phone. Leon continued. “You were supposed to be out in the front entrance almost half an hour ago! Why weren’t you picking up your phone? Raihan and I have been worried sick about you!”

Hop pulled the phone away from his face and turned around to check if Leon’s yelling woke Gloria up. “Oh, sorry about that, Lee! I was dealing with an issue in the locker room” he said vaguely. “Gloria’s sleeping right now. Can you come help me take her to the hotel?” 

From the other line, Leon flinched at that. They were  _ late _ because of an  _ issue in the locker room? _ After  _ an intense battle?  _ And Gloria was  _ sleeping?  _ He looked at Raihan. The dragon gym leader smirked at him. “That reminds me of that time when we-” he quickly whispered, before being abruptly stopped by Leon smacking him over the head. “ _ Absolutely not. _ ” He said. Raihan let out a laugh. The Champion’s voice softened. “We’ll be there in a bit, if she needs more rest we can delay dinner.”

“Thanks, guys.” 

Yes, Hop’s curiosity usually gets the best of him. That’s a known fact about his personality. But oblivious as he is, he could tell whatever had Gloria so shook up wasn’t something he should bring up to her, at least not anytime soon. As soon as she’d woken up from her nap, it all went back to normal, sort of. She didn’t talk about what happened, and Hop didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by asking.

“Glo?”

“Gloria!” 

She was back in the present. Her pillow was still in her hands, gripped tightly. 

“Are you alright, mate? You kind of zoned out” Hop, now standing in front of her, looked puzzled. He confusedly waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her back into reality. 

She took a step back, dropping the cushion in front of her. 

It was that feeling again, that gut-wrenching feeling she got every time she recalled the fact that he’d given up because of her.

“I-I… Hop I…” she stuttered. “I can’t do it, you just” she paused. “It’s not- not the…” her hands were trembling and she was taking shaky breaths. 

“Glo,” he immediately noticed something was wrong. “Gloria, what’s going on?” Hop said sternly. 

But her mind only got louder.  _ You’re hurting him, _ she thought to herself.  _ It’s all because of you.  _ She looked up at him, tears threatening to form. 

_ You don’t deserve him at all. _

He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin atop her head. “It’s alright. Take your time” he spoke quietly.

Although he tried not to show it, Hop was worried about Gloria. He’d always been way more over the top than she was, but this was different. There was something seriously bugging her.

“I’m here for you, Glo. I’ll always be here for you, please don’t be sad” 

Gloria stopped moving. She blushed.  _ Always here for you. _ Her fears felt like they were sliding off of her back.  _ He doesn’t hate me. Of course he doesn’t, he stuck around after everything,  _ she thought to herself. 

She impulsively put her arms around Hop, and his face turned red. “Thanks, Hop,” she spoke softly. “Thank you.” It took her a couple of seconds to pull away, still lingering on the feeling. She looked up at him, smiling brightly, with a sense of resolve in her heart. “You’re the best friend I could’ve ever asked for,” she giggled to herself. 

There it was.  _ Best friend.  _ He was okay with that, as long as he could continue supporting her. But his annoyance at the last statement wasn’t hard to see.  _ What if there was something more? _

Luckily, Gloria’s mind was somewhere else, or else she would’ve definitely noticed his expression. “I guess I just remembered something I didn’t want to think about.” Hop nodded quietly. It was clearly something that bothered Gloria, and he didn’t want to be too pushy with the subject; as a result, Hop didn’t ask any more questions. He walked over to the corner of the room, picking up a couple of cardboard boxes. Looking over at her, he smiled confidently. “Let’s get started!” 

Gloria’s room was tiny and didn’t hold many things inside, so it shouldn’t take them too long to pack. They split up by categories; Gloria neatly folded her clothes and put them inside labeled boxes, while Hop was in charge of her drawers. Although he really enjoys helping out, Hop has never been the best at organizing things. He easily gets off-track and usually just ends up hanging out while Gloria does everything. She knew this, but invited him anyway just to enjoy his company. It felt nice to have him around, even if he wasn’t doing much. Just his personality was enough. 

As Hop was sorting through books and papers in her drawer, he couldn’t ignore a thick book with a pink cover on it. It looked old and fairly worn down, dust covering its surface. It didn’t have a label on it or anything, but he couldn’t shake off the curiosity. He had to open it, and that was the right choice.

“Glo, oh my goodness!” He couldn’t stop smiling at what he saw, dozens of photos of them from they were younger. There were over ten years worth of memories in the tiny book. Pictures ranging from them eating icecream together to the day they received their first Pokémon, it was all there. Small notes and stickers organized the pictures by date and event. Hop was so excited. As the pages flipped, he remembered every moment, every instant he’d spent with Gloria. Everything leading up to this point. She still looked the same; although now her hair was shorter, with her bangs swept to the side. Of course she had grown, but she still looked so familiar; so  _ innocent _ . Her smile was so sweet, nothing had changed from when they were kids.  _ She was so cute. _

Gloria looked over at what he was doing. “My book!” she said in excitement. “Ah~ I thought I’d lost it!” She ran over to Hop, and they flipped through it together; teasing each other, reliving every moment. “You look the same,” said Gloria. They were growing, but it was all the same. Things had changed, but they hadn’t changed at all. Even after all these years, they were still together. It felt harmonious, in an odd way. “Hold on a sec,” she got up from the corner on the floor and walked over to her desk. She fiddled with the drawers, struggling to find the right one, before pulling out a small case. As she opened it, Hop’s face lit up. The box contained nearly a hundred photos of their Pokémon journey, neatly bundled and carefully labeled. Pictures from their camping trips together, Galarian landscapes and interesting Pokémon. Every time they beat a gym, Gloria would take a selfie of them holding up their gym badges. Most pictures in the tiny case didn’t even include her, but Hop was in all of them.  _ He was always there.  _

She took her instant camera from a nearby shelf and took a picture of her best friend, shaking it as it left the device before sliding it onto the pile. 

“You never told me you had all of these pictures!” Hop said. “I would’ve loved to see them sooner.”

“I guess I just never finished organizing them.” She reached for the book in Hop’s hands and snatched it into hers. She sat on the desk, ready to scrapbook. Gloria slowly took out her stationary supplies and quickly got to work, diving right into special stickers and double sided tape. 

Hours passed, and Hop found many things: books about battle strategies and type matchups, movies, figures, a lot of Eevee toys. By the time Gloria was finished scrapbooking, everything was safely put into a labeled cardboard box. 

They looked through the book together one more time. Hop smiled at her, it was an innocent smile this time. She loved that smile. She loved the way his eyes glimmered the same way they did when they were kids. 

Change was coming soon, but they were still each other’s home. It was the same as always. They were with each other, and it meant home, no matter how many miles away that was. 

_ Lost. _ Gloria thought of the word one more time.

Then she realized: as long as she had him, she’d  _ never _ be lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the angst lol I’m glad you guys are liking this so far!! Updates might be a little bit slower, maybe once a week from now on because of school, but chapters are probably gonna be much longer <3 thank you for your support! Postwick shipping community solidarity 😙


	4. Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s the longest one so far, get ready

“I’m sorry for having you do all of this for me,” Gloria was pushing boxes towards the end of the room. “You were the one who ended up doing all the work this time.”

“Of course I’d help out, mate! I had a lot of fun today.” Honestly, he was just using any excuse to see her. His smile was beaming, _ as usual. _It was a warm expression, and to Gloria, it felt like home.

He felt like home.

The sun was setting to the west of Postwick, and as the Wooloo in the fields and farms dozed off sleepily, the sound of Blipbugs and Dottlers harmoniously buzzed near the forest. The small village was completely at peace. A cool breeze flew in through Gloria’s open window, the refreshing smell of the wind reminding them of the upcoming season. Fall was just around the corner. The warm hues in the leaves triggered a sea of childhood memories in their minds. Hop and Gloria talked about everything they could remember; from their leaf pile contests to the several trips they took with Leon to see a rare Pumpkaboo. It was the first time either of them had seen a shiny Pokémon. The surprise and awe they expressed in that moment still feels so memorable, so real. 

“There’s still an hour until we-” Hop paused. “Until _ I _ have to get back home” he tried to hide his slip-up with a soft giggle. Oblivious to it, Gloria sat on her chair, crossing her legs and stretching her arms upwards. She smiled. “Alright then, can you walk to the Pokémon Center with me? I need to stock up on some repels for traveling” she said. Hop nodded eagerly. “Of course! The sun is coming down soon, I wouldn’t want you to walk by yourself in the dark. It’d suck if you got lost.” He bent down to grab the jacket he wore all the time. Gloria sarcastically rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not gonna get lost on my way to _ Wedgehurst _out of all places,” she complained. “if anything, I’ve become an expert at walking there! You know that better than anyone.” She was right. They’ve explored every corner of Route 1, sometimes to sneak out and play with the Wooloo, or numerous other times on a search for Leon, who still struggled finding his way to the station. 

The young champion smirked at her friend. “Hop, just say you want to walk with me,” she teased him. 

He was clearly flustered by that last sentence; his face turned pink. “I-It was you who asked in the first place! _ You _ could’ve gone by yourself, but you asked _ me _to come along. Don’t you want to go together, too?” 

Gloria innocently giggled at his embarrassment. “Of course I do, I was just messing with you.” She softened her gaze, to which he smiled awkwardly. “I like when we go together,” her voice quieted down.

Hop slowly made his way to the loft’s entrance. It wasn’t exactly discreet, but Gloria couldn’t tell what he was trying to do. He turned back with a grin on his face, his jacket draped over his shoulder. 

“Race you there.”

Before she even had time to react, Hop managed to climb down the ladder and into the foyer of the house. “N-Not fair! Hold on!” Gloria protested as she grabbed her sweater and followed him downstairs. By the time she made it to the first floor, Hop was almost completely done putting his shoes on; he reached for the front door. “You may be better at being a Pokémon trainer, but your little twig legs are no match for me!” He teased with a laugh as he quickly left the house, shutting the door behind him. Gloria stood in the entryway, dumbfounded. She scowled. 

_ There’s no way she was going to let him win this time. _

Despite her shy and soft demeanor, Gloria was a very competitive person; however, it hadn’t always been that way. Almost a decade ago, she was completely okay with being on the sidelines. Hop was a ball of energy, usually getting into trouble and wreaking havoc with his two little toddler hands. He was… _ overwhelming. _ And she was almost unnoticeable. They were an unlikely pair, but it worked somehow: both kids were inseparable. Their opposite personalities balanced in a way that allowed them to keep building onto their friendship without burning each other out. Whenever Hop was too angry, Gloria would help him calm down; and anytime Gloria was being picked on by other kids, he was there to tell them off. 

Back then, all she could do was listen to Hop’s stories about Leon’s journey. It’s all he’d ever talk about. He dreamed of becoming the greatest champion Galar had ever seen; and she was eager to support him and encourage him on. Gloria never cared much for Pokémon battles, for she didn’t want to take Hop’s spotlight. In fact, Hop was the one who suggested they participate in the gym challenge in the first place, and she was okay with it as long as Hop was happy. He could get pushy at times, but Gloria didn’t mind it at all. He was smiling, and that’s all that mattered. 

Her competitive spirit came along because of Hop; it had always been him pushing her to improve and become the best version of herself. She found a passion for battles, intricately crafting strategies and studying type advantages. Hop was easily impressed by the way her attitude changed when she fought, it was different from anything he’d ever seen. She was focused, but the adrenaline rush she got just from using a move made her smile brightly. 

Hop was determined. Once he set his mind on a goal, _ nothing _was gonna keep him from getting it. He was an unstoppable force, and Gloria’s smile was his new objective.

He really would do _ anything _ for that smile of hers.

Even if it meant sacrificing his lifelong dream. 

Gloria’s boots were barely on her feet when she came running out the house. He was so far away, she could see him rushing halfway through route 1. Wedgehurst was the finish line for many of their races, so it was a familiar sight.

_ I’m not going to make it if I just chase after him _ , Gloria thought to herself. An idea popped into her mind. She broke into a sprint, reaching into her bag and throwing a Pokéball straight ahead. Her Corviknight was summoned out, and she immediately jumped onto its back to which it responded by flying towards the town. It didn’t take them long to catch up to Hop, who looked back in disbelief. Although he was out of breath, he kept up a fast pace. “Glo, that’s against the rules,” he shouted back. Quickly reaching into his pocket, Hop tossed a Pokeball that invoked his Dubwool. In an instant, he jumped onto the soft, fluffy surface and was carried forward. Dubwool’s stubby little legs were no match for a Corviknight’s steel wings, but they were definitely enough to grant Hop first place in the race. He stood in front of the Pokémon Center to catch his breath and fix his hair, which got messed up from all the running. Shortly after, Gloria gracefully landed in front of him, delicately stepping off the Pokémon’s body and patting it lightly before pulling it back into the Pokéball. When she turned around to face him, Hop couldn’t help but blush a little. _ When did she get so pretty? _

He reached his hand to her face and playfully pinched her cheek. “You cheated,” he reprimanded, slightly softening his grip on Gloria’s skin to make sure it didn’t hurt her. She whined, teasingly. 

“Don’t pinch me~” she pouted at him. “First of all, you never mentioned we couldn’t use our Pokémon,” Gloria started, “and secondly, it’s not fair for me either!” She stepped away from him and began walking towards the door, gesturing at him to follow her inside. “You had a head start, anyways.” The way she childishly stuck her tongue out at him while lightly punching his shoulder made his heart melt. He loved that about her. He loved everything about her.

He loved _ her. _

Hop tried to hide the red hue on his face as he stepped into the Pokémon Center. Naturally, Gloria was already busy signing autographs for a few fans that noticed her. _ She’s really a celebrity now _ , her friend thought to himself. It’s not everyday you get to meet the girl that _ beat _ the _ Unbeatable _ Champion, and seeing her was exciting for all of Galar. She discreetly handed her wallet over to Hop, and he smiled sweetly at her.

While Gloria was at the entrance taking pictures with her admirers, Hop walked over to the counter. “Well if it isn’t my favorite professor assistant,” the cashier greeted him. They saw each other frequently, since Sonia would send him to the center all the time to pick up some orders. He was a very kind man, and with every visit they’d learn a little more about each other. “How’s everything going with you?” The Pokéshop clerk asked.

Hop grinned. “It’s all going great!” He said, full of energy. “I’ve been very busy with some event-planning and helping organize some stuff.” 

“Event-planning? Sounds like hard work,” the clerk spoke warmly. “Try not to push yourself too hard while you’re still so young” he gave Hop’s head a soft pat, messing his hair up slightly. “Is there anything I can help you with?” 

“Just a couple of max repels,” he replied, reaching into Gloria’s wallet. “I think that’s all we need for now.”

The clerk turned around. “I’ll get those for you. I can throw in a full heal or two if you want,” he said. “Free of charge, obviously. Nothing less for my favorite customer!”

Hop giggled. “Thanks so much! That’s really nice of you.”

His eyes drifted back behind him to catch a glimpse of Gloria’s, who was still talking to fans. She seemed a bit overwhelmed, but nothing that required him to intervene. She nodded innocently at him, letting him know that she was thankful for the check-in. He scratched his cheek lightly. It was good to see that she was doing okay; Gloria has never been the best at socializing with other people, and things can get stressful for her. Hop wouldn’t hesitate to step in if he had to, even if it meant being rude to fans or paparazzi. Her safety was more important. 

He turned back around to see the clerk grinning at him.

“I see you’ve brought the champion with you this time,” the man pointed out. He leaned forward, lowering his voice a bit. “So, what's the deal with you two? Have you asked her out yet?”

Hop jumped in embarrassment at that question. He pulled away quickly, his eyes wide and his face completely red. “W-what are you talking about?!” He whispered loudly, looking behind him to make sure Gloria wasn’t there. Luckily, she was too distracted by the growing crowd.

The clerk laughed loudly. “With that reaction, there’s no way you guys are _ just _ friends,” he said. “Or at least no way you’re okay with being just that.” 

Hop was still very shocked. “I-It’s nothing like that! I’m completely fine with what we have ri-” he cut himself off. Suddenly, Sonia’s text from a few nights before popped right into his head. 

_ “You’re just in love, little man.” _

_ In love. _

The clerk reached his hand over the counter and gave him a pat on the back. “It’s not hard to figure out you’re head over heels for her,” he said with a smile. “I wasn’t surprised at all; I’ve seen enough of you to know you act completely differently around Gloria.” 

Hop thought he was going to collapse and die of embarrassment right then. “W-What do you mean by that?” His voice was quiet; he didn’t want Gloria to hear anything.

The man’s eyes softened. “You’ve always been an energetic guy,” he started. “But the few times I’ve seen you around her have felt… _ different.” _He put Hop’s purchase into a red plastic bag without breaking eye contact. “Your face lights up, and your eyes look brighter. Whenever she’s with you, you seem so much happier but a bit more gentle at the same time… and your smile towards her feels so innocent,” he finished, handing the flustered Hop his order. 

He was speechless. “How did you even figure that out just by looking?” Hop gaped at the older man, who smiled in return.

“You’re just not good at hiding your emotions,” the clerk spoke while printing out a receipt, “and she’s completely oblivious to your massive crush on her.” 

Hop’s mouth curved upwards, letting out a quiet sigh. “You got me there,” he giggled as he reached for the bag. “I guess it’s hard to admit it, but I _ do _like her… 

l-like, a lot.” That was the first time he’d said that out loud. 

The clerk smiled. “Shoot your shot, dude! I’m sure she feels the same way.” 

“Y-You really think so?” Hop rubbed the side of his neck, his face growing a bit warmer. His chest dropped forward, hunching his body over. “I honestly feel like I’m going mad over this,” he said, putting his hand on his forehead and tightly shutting his eyes in frustration. 

“What are you losing your mind over this time?” A familiar voice spoke behind him.

His body shot upward, making the clerk cackle. 

“Gloria!” Hop’s eyes darted in every direction. “I-It’s nothing special!” He looked away from her gaze. The champion looked up at him, puzzled. 

“Okay… the crowd dispersed a little bit. We should get going before more people get here to see me. I’m sure the word’s got around by now…” Gloria turned to the shop clerk, smiling softly. “I’m so sorry for all the trouble!” She took a slight bow.

The man replied with a simple “No worries! Hop here told me about your future travels,” he put his hand on the young boy’s shoulder, “I wish you the best of luck, Champion!”

“Thank you so much!”

Gloria took Hop’s hand, leading him out of the Pokémon Center. “Let’s sneak out while we still can,” she whispered to him.

As he stepped out of the Center, Hop looked over his shoulder to the shop clerk one last time, nodding thankfully. The older man winked, and then the doors slid shut.

The sky was entirely yellow by the time they left the Pokémon Center. It was a lovely sunset. 

As Gloria was preparing herself to walk through route 1 and back home, Hop stopped her. 

_ He made up his mind. _

“I have to pick something up from the lab,” he spoke softly, looking at the ground. “Come with me?”

“You know it!” Gloria said sweetly, met by a smile from him.

There it was again, that smile. His expression from when they were younger hadn’t changed at all. Impulsively, Gloria hugged him.

Hop’s heart raced at the close contact. “O-Oh!” He was surprised at how sudden it was, but he hugged her back anyway.

She blushed. “Ah! I’m s-sorry! Your smile just…” she paused, her flustered expression softening. “It reminded me of when we were little kids.” Saying that was sort of embarrassing.

“Wait Glo that’s so cute,” he said, rubbing her head. “You haven’t changed one bit, either.”

The walk to the lab was short and unusually quiet, until Gloria broke the silence. “Were you okay back at the center?” She seemed concerned. “You looked like your soul left your body.”

Hop laughed nervously, trying to cover his embarrassment. That was the _ very _ last thing he wanted to talk about. “Oh! Y-yeah it was just…” he paused, desperately trying to come up with something. “Some _ shocking _ theories about Z-moves in Alola and… _ stuff _.”

Gloria burst out laughing. “You’re a terrible liar!” she said, nudging his arm. The champion turned her head toward him, looking into his eyes. It made Hop panic a bit. 

“You know you can talk to me if anything’s bothering you,” she frowned. “I want to be there for you, Hop.”

He hesitantly looked up at the sky, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” the time in his voice was soft, “but there’s nothing to be concerned about!” He made an effort to put on a genuine smile. The autumn breeze made the leaves shift in place, and Gloria’s hair flew behind her face. “I was just sort of distracted, I guess. I promise I’m alright!” He smiled brightly, his hands on his head. 

His attitude was contagious; in just an instant, Gloria felt her concern wash away entirely. Before they knew it, they’d made it to the lab. 

Hop reached into his pocket for the building’s keys. As soon as the door opened, he felt a small, fluffy creature jump on his leg.

“Hi Yamper!” He said, excitedly. “Have you been doing a good job keeping the lab safe?” Sitting down, he pet the Pokémon’s head lovingly. The lab’s lights were still on, and there were some empty coffee mugs next to the sink. A couple stacks of paper sat messily on the desk. One could tell whoever was last sitting there left in a hurry.

Gloria looked around. “It feels like I haven’t been here in forever. Is Sonia here?” She asked. “I’d love to say hello!” 

“She’s out right now,” Hop replied as he stood back up. 

She hummed quietly at his response. “That’s weird. Doesn’t she usually take Yamper with her when she’s traveling?” She extended her hand to the dog, who sniffed it a bit before rubbing his head against it. 

Hop was already on the other side of the room, looking for something inside a drawer. “She’ll probably be back soon! Sonia usually leaves me a note or a text if she’s leaving for a while,” he said, his back turned to Gloria. “Hey mate! You should come check this out,” he turned his head and gestured to her to come his way. 

The champion walked curiously towards her rival, Yamper eagerly following behind her. “Whatcha got there?” she asked, looking over his shoulder. He turned his body to face hers. “Sonia’s been helping Kalos’ Professor Sycamore with Dynamax research recently, she says it’s got something to do with Mega Evolution,” he started, “and he sent her this gift! She didn’t really have a good use for it, so she wanted me to keep it.” Hop held out a Masterball. “She mentioned the professor was trying to develop a new model or something like that,” he happily continued, “but I’m not sure if I even _ want _it myself. I’m just… I don’t think it’s fair to catch a Pokémon without giving it a chance to fight back. What’s the point in training it if it doesn’t even want to be your partner in the first place?” His voice sounded thoughtful.

Gloria tilted her head, resting her cheek on her hand. “I feel the same way! I used the Masterball Magnolia gave me to catch Eternatus only because it was the only way to save Galar,” she said. “I don’t think I would’ve ever used it on anything else.”

Hop grinned. “That settles it!” He stood up, the rare object still in his hands. As Gloria watched him with a puzzled expression, he tightly grasped both sides of the Masterball, and in a single strong motion, broke it in half.

She gasped loudly. “Hop! Y-You just-” her shriek was interrupted by the sudden movement of his hand. His golden eyes glimmered as he extended his hand towards her, the purple half of the capsule in hand.

“Not a lot of people get to have an object this rare,” he muttered nervously, looking away for a second, “but if I’m not going to use it, I’d much rather share it with you!” His smile was so bright, so warm.

Hesitantly, Gloria took the piece into her hand and delicately looked inside of it. “_ Woah _,” she whispered in amazement, “you’re crazy.” Her voice was energetic for a moment, before turning soft again. “But… this is so special. It means a lot to me, really…” the girl’s voice wavered slightly, and she was struggling to find what to say. She looked down for a moment, feeling a foreign warmth rising to her cheeks.

He seemed a bit flustered by her reaction, but his grin prevailed. “I’ve always wanted to know what these looked like from the inside!” he said, spinning the cap on his index finger. Hop’s excitement with the simplest of things was something Gloria loved seeing. He was very easily impressed, and it was nice to see him happy. 

“I’ll keep it with me,” she spoke, “for my journey. It’ll remind me of you!” A subtle smile spread on her lips. “I-It’ll be scary to be by myself. Not just in Wyndon, but wherever the league wants me… I don’t want to be lonely.” 

Hop flicked Gloria’s forehead. “H-Hey!” she protested.

“You’re wrong,” he said, to which she responded by giving him a puzzled look. “You’re not going to be alone at all! You have your Pokémon, and…” he paused for a moment.

“… a-and you have me. ”

His words left Gloria speechless. The warmth on her cheeks quickly turned into heat, and her face became completely red. 

He continued. “No matter how far you go, you’ll always have me!” A grin appeared across his face. _ “Always.” _

She briefly looked at his face, realizing just how much confidence that statement gave her. “A-Always? I wouldn’t want to get in your wa-” before she could even finish what she was saying, Hop pulled her into a hug.

“You’re not making any sense, mate,” he spoke. “There’s no way you’d ever bring me down! You’re stuck with me now… 

… Forever and ever and ever and ever!” He squeezed her tighter until she started giggling. 

“I c-can’t breathe!” Gloria said with a laugh, pulling away from the hug. They looked into each other’s eyes briefly, tenderly smiling at each other. “_ It’s forever, _” Hop said.

_ “I promise.” _

And he took promises very seriously.

In that moment, she felt her heart warm up. _ He’s still here, _ she thought to herself. _ Even after everything I put him through; he’s still here. And he always will be. _ More than anything, Gloria feared losing her best friend. She was afraid of hurting him to the point of no return, but hearing his reassurance made her heart swell. 

Gloria grinned. “I guess I gotta be by your side forever too,” she said brightly. “That’s a promise as well. You know you’ll always have my support!” 

It was Hop’s turn to blush at that. He lightly nudged at her shoulder, in a loving way. Now that Gloria was the champion, people all over Galar loved her; but he knew just how to make her feel special. After all, he knew her better than anyone, and it was little gifts like these that meant the most to her.

“W-We should get going now,” Hop said, trying to cover up his flustered reaction. “There’s only a few minutes for us to get back home.”

Gloria tilted her head to the side as a sign of curiosity. “You didn’t tell me you had plans at a certain time tonight,” she said. They never really had any set time for anything in Postwick; they didn’t need to set one. The town was so small they just sort of called when they were ready to get somewhere. 

His eyes widened a little at her statement. “Ah, nothing too special…” his gaze darted to the other side of the room, where Yamper was sitting. “Just dinner with… Lee. You should come too!” It was a strategic invitation. Hop knew there was no way she’d say no to it.

She giggled a little bit, which made her nose scrunch. Hop’s heart melted. He couldn’t have imagined in a million years that Galar’s champion would be so… _ cute. _ She was adorable. It was definitely a change of pace, seeing how the only thing she had in common with Leon was her talent for Pokémon battles. The former champion was definitely… _ something. _ Lee boasted a lot and was very full of himself; but to his credit, he _ was _ one of the greatest trainers the region had ever seen. In terms of personality as well as looks, Gloria was the complete opposite. At first glance, she looked completely plain. No one would expect her to be the strongest trainer in all of Galar, and that gave her an advantage; challengers could easily underestimate her and let their guards down, only to be crushed under her strategies and battle style. She was _ ruthless, _ but there she stood before her rival, with the most innocent look gracing her face. He was desperately trying to fight the urge to pinch her cheeks. 

“Of course I’d go with you! It’s been forever since the last time I saw your brother,” Gloria said, smiling softly at the boy in front of her. He grinned right back. 

Hop looked back at the desk behind him, and a knot appeared in his throat. He hesitated for a second, before turning back to talk to Gloria. “I have to look at something over here, can you go give Yamper a treat? There should be some in a yellow jar in the kitchen,” he said, pointing to the other side of the room. Gloria nodded sweetly, quickly making her way over. 

The second she turned her back to him, Hop opened the desk’s bottom drawer. The vibrant red capsule tops of six Pokéballs inside of it waited for him. 

This time, he’d _ really _ made up his mind. 

He examined them and took the correct one, quickly shoving it into his duffel bag, along with his other belongings left at the lab. He stood up, walking towards Gloria who patiently sat near the door, playing with Sonia’s Pokémon. 

“Ready?”

“Yup.”

The pair waved goodbye to Yamper, who energetically wagged his tail. 

And just like that, they were on their way.

The walk back to Postwick barely took more than ten minutes. It was dark outside, so they definitely had to be more cautious; but they knew their way around masterfully. A short walk like that was a familiar occurrence, basically routine at that point. 

In the blink of an eye, they made it to Hop’s house. Gloria stood on the small court on the yard that was traditionally used for battle training, and she closed her eyes to remember. This is where everything began. The spot where they got their starter Pokémon from Leon and had their first battle. It all started here; the flame in Gloria’s heart that fueled her passion for Pokémon battles was lit by Hop, who was the match. In just a couple of minutes, her Grookey took down her rival’s team, and she realized she had something way ahead of her. 

When the battle ended, Hop asked her a question that she’d remember forever.

_ “Did you have fun, mate?” _

Of course she did. It was _ so _ much fun. She seemed completely unimpressed by Pokémon at first, only agreeing to take on the gym challenge because Hop wanted to do it; however, she didn’t expect a simple battle to be so much fun.

“Hop, that was awesome!” she said, her eyes full of a newly found determination. He was taken aback by how happy she was. “We _ have _ to do the gym challenge. We’ll beat it together. If we give it our all, the battle at the league will be the two of us. It has to be… 

_ … It just has to be!” _

And that was the beginning of it all. Gloria opened her eyes again, escaping the reflection from the past to find Hop standing by her side, like usual.

“Isn’t it crazy to think that it all started right here?” Hop’s voice was soft, yet his smile was beaming. “You’ve made it so far, Glo.”

Gloria’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at the night sky. “It all lead up to this point… and it was all thanks to you.” 

Hop’s eyes widened a bit at her fairly bold statement. “H-Huh?! Thanks to _ me? _ As far as I know, you were the one who beat Lee! You’re an amazing trainer,” he said.

“Yes, but… it really wouldn’t be the same without your support. You’re my hero, Hop!” A bright, innocent smile was spread across the champion’s lips. It was different from their childhood days. She seemed… _ confident _.

When he heard that, he shyly looked away, his cheeks brushed with a soft shade of pink. He laughed nervously. “Ah~ I’m so flattered by that,” he said, as he scratched the back of his head. 

Gloria giggled quietly, a sound interrupted by the sound of Hop’s phone buzzing. “Oh! We should head in,” she said. 

He nodded, and they walked together towards the house’s front entrance. A silence fell as soon as they were standing before the door, which made Gloria a bit uneasy. There was _ always _ noise coming from the house. This was a bit out of character.

Hop smiled; he seemed to not mind it at all, as he took a deep breath before opening the door. It was dark inside, so she figured that the silence was due to no one else being home yet. However, the very second she stepped inside, the lights were switched on.

It was all entirely quiet for a brief second, until…

_ “Surprise!” _

About a dozen people shouted from the living room.

_ Everyone was there. _

Gloria’s jaw dropped as she was left completely speechless. All of the gym leaders as well as her friends from the Gym Challenge, Sonia, and Leon, were waiting to celebrate with her. 

Bede spoke first, sarcastically, as usual. “Hopefully Hop didn’t ruin the surprise for you; he was the one who suggested the idea of throwing you a going away party in the first place,” he started. “It took us forever to just _ find _ a time to do all of this. You two are literally always here, it was almost impossible to set everyth-” his remarks were abruptly cut short as Gloria spoke, tears springing to her eyes.

_ “You guys!” _Gloria ran into the room, her smile beaming.

As all her friends stood in the living room along her best friend, she realized.

She wasn’t alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters really only get longer from here, but this is definitely one of my favs so far! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it <3


	5. Good Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conflict resolves, and plans develop.

As a young child, Gloria never cared much for socializing. She was completely okay with watching the other kids from afar and staying inside her little mind. Even a ghost type Pokémon could make less noise than her.

That was, until Hop.

Neither of them can really remember how they even became friends in the first place. It sort of just… happened. Inside their minds, there just wasn’t a memory without each other.

Which brought them to this moment.

As someone who never had many friends, Gloria was ecstatic to find herself surrounded by those who cared about her. The gym leaders were all wonderful people, and she was happy and grateful to know that she could rely on them. It was reassuring to be around her past gym challenge rivals, who she even began to call her friends.

Marnie was naturally easy to get along with, at least to Gloria. They had grown even closer after Gloria’s championship title, and they relied on each other a lot. They’d bonded over the times they’d run into each other in the wild area, the walks they took in between towns, their discussions about Pokémon and curry recipes Piers had taught his sister. Now that Marnie was an official gym leader, they saw each other much more often, for league matters and whatnot. Being crowned as the new champion came with introductions and gym tours, but it wasn’t anything Gloria wasn’t too familiar with. After all, she had become fairly close to the gym leaders, too.

Her friendship with Bede was… an entirely different story.

For the first couple of months she knew him, she had a certain disdain for him. But who could blame her? His arrogant, entitled, and downright rude demeanor didn’t particularly make him fun to be around. It was after getting her fire badge in Motostoke that she really hated him. His harsh words towards Hop left an impact that she could never forgive him for. Bede crushed him, and knowing that Hop was hurting because of it crushed her. It was very out of character for her to deliberately be mean, but she sort of enjoyed taking it out on Bede’s team in battles, much more than she’d like to admit. It would’ve made her feel like a horrible person only if she didn’t hold a huge grudge against him. In her mind, it was Bede’s own fault for messing with her best friend, and she was ready to defend him at any cost.

When Opal suddenly took him under her wing, Gloria didn’t care much for it. She even thought it was a bit funny, seeing Bede getting dragged around like that. But at the same time, she began to understand him more; the time spent without him gave her a way to think about empathizing with Bede. She realized it was really all just a mask. The chairman’s endorsement was genuinely the only thing he was proud of, which is why he clung to it so tightly. It didn’t take a psychic-type to figure out that his self entitlement was something he’d made up to cover his own insecurities, and knowing that now made Gloria feel a bit of remorse.

He seemed different these days. He was still the snarky, sarcastic Bede she knew, but he was more mellow.

He found his worth.

Bede was taken aback when Gloria suddenly jumped into his arms; he stumbled a few steps back before regaining stability. He stood there, flustered, before finally giving into her hug. Marnie stood from her spot next to her older brother on the couch, quickly making her way towards them and joining the embrace.

“You guys didn’t have to throw a party like this for me!” Gloria said, her voice muffled by Bede’s shoulder.

Raihan grinned from the other side of the living room. “We gotta give all the credit to Hop,” he said. Nessa continued, “Yeah! He invited us all to celebrate your championship,” she smiled.

Hearing those words made Gloria’s eyes dart back to meet Hop’s. She pulled away from Marnie and Bede and slowly walked over to her best friend.

“Y-You did all this?” her eyes were sparkling.

Hop directed his gaze away, softly scratching his cheek with his index finger. He smiled, embarrassed. “Well, it wasn’t all just me,” he said. “Sonia did the decorations, Raihan and Lee did most of the food, Piers made a really good playlist and-” he was cut off by a loud tongue click from Sonia, who was standing near the end of the couch. “Yeah, but who was the one that insisted everything had to be perfect?” she started, a grin on her face. “Who was the one who picked all the decorations, gave detailed recipes for the food, and sent a whole list of Gloria’s favorite songs so that Piers could get the genre right?” she remarked. “You’ve spent weeks planning this party, give yourself a bit of credit!”

Gloria looked back up at him in awe. “Hop…” she buried her head into his chest, tightly holding onto him. Good thing it was brief, because if she hadn’t pulled away any sooner, she would’ve definitely felt the leaping of his own heart in his rib cage.

He laughed a bit, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I wanted to send you off properly, I guess!” Smiling brightly, the boy threw a thumbs up.

“You care about me that much? That’s so flattering~” this time, her tone of voice was sarcastically teasing him.

His tone was not.

“Yeah Glo, I care about you a whole lot,” he said. Maybe he worded it the wrong way, because it made Gloria’s face turn pink. Or maybe he was being too honest. Either way, she smiled, and any sort of worry melted off his mind.

The party was going flawlessly according to Hop’s plan. Everyone seemed like they were having fun, especially Gloria, and that was all he was aiming for. She never really cared for attention, but it still made her happy to be celebrated like this. Hop saw her talking to Gordie and Milo across the room, so he took a break and sat next to Piers on the couch.

Funnily enough, the two of them had grown very close over the whole ordeal with Shielbert and Sordward, so starting conversation wasn’t very difficult. Piers thought of him almost like as a little brother. It was an unusual friendship, but the former gym leader gave good advice, and Hop turned out to be very reliable.

Initially, Hop was trying really hard to impress him. But he always tried to impress everyone. Piers is the kind to go with the flow, and following Leon’s kid brother around made for some very interesting stories.

The dark type specialist smiled softly when he saw Hop, or something like that. It wasn’t much of a smile, but it had the same purpose and effect as one.

“Fun gatherin’,” he said, his usual tone. “I never leave Spikemuth, so I’m not exactly what you’d call a party guy. But you really outdid yourself with this one.” He took a sip out of his cup.

Because of Leon’s very low alcohol tolerance, Hop strictly prohibited any liquor in the event. He wasn’t about to let his brother get drunk on Gloria’s special day, so Piers had to settle for some apple juice. It made Hop laugh.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice was as energetic as always, “I just hope Gloria’s enjoying herself…” he spoke, shooting a glance at her. She seemed a bit overwhelmed from the attention, but he could tell she was still having a good time seeing everyone.

Piers nudged his shoulder. “Of course she is,” he sighed. “You’re a terrific friend,” his voice was much softer than usual, even a bit sentimental. It made Hop feel special.

It took him a couple of seconds to continue what he was saying, but not before letting out a soft sigh. “You know, Hop…” he paused briefly, looking away. “You might hate me a bit for sayin’ this, but I always thought that you two’d end up together or somethin’,” he said, a bit too casually. Hop flinched, almost spitting out his drink, and he had an expression on his face Piers had never seen before. “Woah there, buddy,” he said, his blue eyes wide, “you okay?”

But all Hop could do was shriek quietly. “Keep your voice down, or else she might hear you!” He said, furrowing his brow in panic.

“Hold on,” the dark-type trainer was trying to get his hair out of his face. “Hear what?” He whispered, his tone reflecting his confusion.

Hop leaned back on the couch, sighed for a second, and then hunched his back over like before. “Soon enough,” he said, “It’ll happen, hopefully. I’m just not sure when,” his voice was quiet.

“What are you talking about?” Piers said, a confused expression on his face. “You’re not making any sense.”

But Hop’s attention was already somewhere else. It was Marnie, who gestured to him from the other side of the room to come to the kitchen. “Oh, I think your sister needs more drinks,” he said. “Be back in a sec.” He quickly got up, leaving Piers with a blank expression. “Oi! Ye still haven’t explained yerself!” the dark type gym leader protested, but Hop was already gone.

“Soon enough…” Piers mumbled to himself. “But what?” He rested his chin on his interlocked fingers, and his eyes widened as soon as he realized exactly what those words meant.

He laughed into his apple juice.

~~~

Hop walked into the kitchen expecting to help Marnie carry out jugs of berry punch. Instead, what he found was much more… unusual.

Bede was awkwardly standing next to her, looking to the ground and fiddling his thumbs. His nervousness was so obvious it was uncharacteristically comical. Marnie walked behind Hop, leaning against the kitchen’s entryway.

“Bede wanted to talk to you,” she told Hop, “but we both knew if he was the one to ask, you’d probably pretend you didn’t hear him,” she teased. It’s not like she was wrong, Hop would definitely try to avoid directly speaking to Bede, especially if it was just the two of them. But Marnie saying that out loud made it sound plain mean.

Although he didn’t really want to, Hop attempted to show a genuine smile. Whatever Bede was going to try to say, he was definitely trying his best. “Yeah, mate! That works,” he tried to sound enthusiastic, hoping not to discourage Bede.

Marnie smiled. “Alright! I’m gonna go find Gloria,” she said, slyly exiting the kitchen. “I’ll leave ye to it!”

Bede looked up for the first time since Hop walked in. “H-Hold on, Marnie! You said you were-” he protested, to no avail. She was already out.

He groaned in frustration, looking back to the floor tiles. Taking a sharp breath, he looked back at Hop, only to get too flustered to even make a noise and immediately darting his eyes away.

Hop was very confused, but he tried not to show it. Bede was clearly struggling, and he didn’t want to make him feel worse.

The fairy specialist went through the awkward cycle a couple of times, picking at the pale skin on his hand and fidgeting with the hemline of his pink cotton shirt. He finally realized he was probably not going to get anything out if he tried looking at Hop, so instead he inhaled deeply while staring at the floor.

“L-Listen,” Bede started, trying to organize his thoughts. “First of all, th-thank you,” he stuttered, “for inviting me today. The party. I’m having a lot of fun,” his voice ended up turning into a mutter.

Hop still didn’t really understand him, but he could tell he was genuinely trying to be nice.

He smiled anyway. “Of course! I know you’re important to Glo, I’m so glad you could make it!” His voice was so much more gentle than usual, which is definitely something Bede appreciated.

The gym leader’s embarrassment wasn’t difficult to see: his pale skin was as pink as the shirt he wore, and he tapped his foot hastily.

“It’s not… It’s not just that,” he spoke, finally looking up at Hop’s face. He fumbled with his words, trying to find exactly what to say.

“Look, Hop. I…” he sighed sharply, before taking a gulp.

“I’m sorry.”

The taller boy’s eyes widened in surprise. That might’ve been the last thing he had expected to hear, and the shock from it made him flinch a bit. “Sorry? For what?”

Bede frowned at Hop’s stupid obliviousness. He blushed, furrowing his eyebrows, but he caught himself in the act and calmed himself down. Is he seriously going to make me say it? He thought in frustration.

Hop curiously tilted his head to the side, leaving him no choice but to explain.

“Ugh,” Bede groaned quietly. “The gym challenge. I’m sorry for what I said. I was angry at myself and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.” His expression seemed different this time. There was no denying that Opal definitely mellowed him out, but this time it felt softer. He was really trying his best.

“You didn’t deserve to be torn down like that. I hope you can forgive me,” he finished, looking at his shoes; it really may have just been too nerve wracking after all.

But just that apology meant the world to Hop. It was fact that Bede’s mean comments had a long-lasting effect on the aspiring trainer, leaving him very shook up. It earned him dozens of “don’t let it get to you” and “you can be the bigger person” type statements from Gloria and Sonia, who were conflicted with Hop’s sudden change in attitude.

He parted his lips to say something, but Bede quickly interrupted him.

“And just in case you were wondering,” he said, his face heating up. “I don’t think you’re making Leon look bad anymore…

… I honestly think he’s very proud of how far you’ve come. Your brother loves you a lot, ‘nd y-you’re doing a decent job.” He finished that sentence with a soft smile on his lips, and extended his right hand towards Hop with the intention of a handshake.

Instead, Hop pulled his wrist down and wrapped his arms around him.

“Thank you,” his tone wavered behind his relieved grin.

It took Bede a couple of seconds to process that he was being hugged, and by Hop of all people. He wasn’t a huge fan of physical contact, but he still hugged back.

“No hard feelings?”

“None at all.”

Marnie walked past the entryway, making eye contact with Bede. She couldn’t help but crack a soft smile; and she threw up a peace sign at him, to which he responded by rolling his eyes before showing her a thumbs up.

Once he’d had enough, he lightly pat Hop’s back with his hand a couple of times before pulling away. Quickly putting his hand back in his pocket, he nodded at him, an awkward smile spread on his face. “I’d honestly understand if you hated me,” he said.

Hop furrowed his brow in thought. “No,” he started, “I don’t think I ever really hated you. What you said was…” he paused, breathing in, not really knowing how to describe the way he felt. “It was discouraging. It really made me feel like I’d never be enough, and for a while I was ashamed to even battle in fear that I’d be embarrassing Lee and everyone else,” his eyes drifted away in a half-lidded gaze, words soft-spoken. Bede had never seen this side of Hop, and it made him feel pretty awful, but he didn’t want to stop him from talking. “I guess that feeling had never gone away until now.” He sighed, his lips slightly curved upward bashfully.

That last sentence crushed the fairy gym leader. Was that all my fault? All of it? He’d never say that out loud, he’d never let Hop know that the guilt was really tearing him up inside.

“So I appreciate your apology,” he finished, the usual grin on his face this time. “I think I can finally break the cycle.”

Bede was not only concerned, but he also felt terrible about what he’d done. It didn’t take Hop too long to notice that the boy standing in front of him actually felt remorse, so he took the chance to boost his ego a little bit to ease the situation.

“It’s still thanks to you, though,” he said, “that I got stronger. I switched up my team and practiced so much more just because I wanted to prove you wrong; but in doing that, I ended up becoming a pretty great trainer!” He beamed. His words were all true and meaningful, even when he was just trying to make Bede feel a bit better.

The shorter boy’s violet eyes softened, shooting a glance up at Hop. “At least you did something worthwhile with your time,” he teased. No matter how much Ballonlea’s Wizard had changed Bede, that side of him never quite left.

“I guess I really had it coming,” he continued, “screwing with you like that. I swear Gloria really tried her hardest to give me the worst time in battles after that! You could tell she was genuinely mad, and so were her Pokémon. Her team one-shotted mine every single time,” he scowled, messing with his platinum hair.

Hop couldn’t resist a laugh. “Sorry about that, dude! It really sounds like she gave ya hell,” he said, as he brought his hand to the back of his own neck.

Bede looked at him, softening his gaze in thought. “I think she was upset that she couldn’t do anything to make you feel better,” he said. “It probably made her feel less useless to take out that feeling of helplessness onto someone else… especially if that someone was the source of your misery in the first place.”

Hop’s jaw fell.

“How do even know all of this?” He raised his eyebrows, impressed.

The young gym leader shrugged. “I’d do the same if I was in that situation,” he mumbled. “Powerlessness is not a feeling I’m unfamiliar with.”

Hop smiled gently, averting his eyes and tilting his chin up a bit. “You know, Bede… you sound really cool sometimes.”

Never particularly having any real friends until recently, Bede wasn’t used to being appreciated like that. The word “cool” had never been used to describe him, especially not by a boy his age. The longer he thought about it, he realized he’d never actually been complimented by a boy.

It made him feel weird.

He looked at Hop with a confused face. Lowering the tone of his voice, he said “Whatever. I guess you’re alright, too.”

Hop’s snicker was quiet, almost unnoticeable. Some things just never change.

There was a short silence between the two, one that Bede took the liberty of breaking.

“She cares about you a lot. Gloria, I mean. She’s great.”

Hop smiled.

“Yeah… she is.”

She was truly the best friend he could ask for.

“Hey, Hop!” A female voice called from the living room.

He looked back to meet Gloria’s eyes and then turned his head to Bede. “I should probably see what Glo needs,” he smiled, “but thank you for trying to clear things up. You’re a good friend, Bede.” He walked out of the kitchen, leaving the gym leader by himself.

A good friend.

Marnie’s face peeked in from the side of the entryway, her piercing green eyes softened with curiosity. Once Bede noticed and nodded at her, she walked in.

“I saw Hop walk out, he seemed pretty happy. How’d it go?” She asked quietly. “I brought you a cake pop,” she said, handing him a dessert covered in pink. “Turns out Raihan’s actually a pretty stellar baker.”

Bede took it with his left hand, admiring its shape. It looked just like a Hatenna. “Cute, right?” she smiled, taking a bite out of hers, which was in the shape of a Morpeko.

“It was fine. Hop’s more understanding than I expected, but he’s just so nice. It’s unnerving.” the fairy type gym leader spoke before sinking his teeth into the delicate cake pop.

Marnie’s eyes drifted away, and she waited until she finished chewing her dessert before talking. “Mhm, but it’s very genuine, I think. Glo’s so lucky to have him.”

“Wait a minute,” Bede’s eyes widened. “Have him?...

… Are they dating?”

Stoic as usual, Marnie looked back at her friend’s face. “Huh.” She said questioningly, her eyebrows raised a bit. “I didn’t mean it like that at all, yet when you say it out loud…” It’s not something she’d ever directly asked Gloria, but the longer she wondered about the possibility, the more she could see it. “I’ve never really thought about it, but frankly I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The fairy gym leader leaned against the kitchen counter, fixing his fluffy hair. “I don’t recall Gloria ever telling me about something like that,” he said, “so I don’t think they’re together.” He furrowed his eyebrow in a frown, “But why? You can tell he’s head over heels in love with her, and she one hundred percent likes him back.”

“Wait! You’re not the only one who thinks that!” Marnie said, a smile between her lips. She was trying her best to hold back her laughter, just from the irony of it all. “Piers asked me somethin’ about it too!”

Bede let out a cackle. “Marn, you don’t think…”

She covered her mouth to stop a snicker, and nodded affirmatively. “They probably don’t even know how they feel,” she whispered, before finally breaking into a laugh. “I think everyone realized before they did!”

The gym leader tried to hide his own giggling fit by covering his pale face, now tinted pink, with his hands. “Oh no,” he said between laughs. “They can’t be that stupid.”

Marnie looked at him, her hand on her face. “Have you ever met ‘em? She’s the most oblivious person in all of Galar, an’ Hop’s even denser than that!” She remarked.

“You’re right,” Bede said. “But I refuse to just stay here and watch them be dumb forever,” he was still trying to recover from laughing so hard.

She shot him a perplexed look. “You mean you wan’ us to do somethin’ about it?” Her question was vivacious, betraying her usually solemn nature.

“I mean, kind of,” he replied, “it’s not like we gotta get them together, but at the very least make them aware of their feelings,” he spoke, smugly. Marnie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It wasn’t from the shock of knowing they definitely liked each other, no, it was just…

“Bede,” she said, seeking an answer to what had her so confused, “since when do you even care?”

She was right. Up until now, such matters were trivial to him, almost completely insignificant. Maybe not as much when it concerned Gloria, but definitely so when it came to Hop. His embarrassment at the question was perfectly reflected by the sudden red tone on his cheeks.

To Marnie’s amusement, he stuttered. “I-It’s for Gloria, of course. Something like this could be beneficial to her…” his voice sounded more like a mumble than a sentence.

His excuse was so egregious, she couldn’t resist a soft giggle. “Or, maybe, an’ this is just a theory, but what if you actually think better of Hop than you’d like to admit?” It was out of character for her to speak in such a manner, but teasing Bede was hilarious to her. “You care about him. And you want to make him happy while at the same time leaving Gloria in good hands.”

Bede’s frustration at just how easy he was to read wasn’t kept hidden. He scowled, rolling his eyes in defeat. “Ugh, and what of it? I’ve been hating myself about what I told him during the gym challenge for so long, and now that I’ve apologized this is the least I can try to do,” he said. “Hop’s really nice, Marnie. Annoyingly nice. He’s so sweet and thoughtful and I’d feel terrible if I didn’t even try to be like that,” he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “It makes me so mad knowing that I’m nothing like him. I want to be ‘a good friend,‘ at least once. I want to prove that I’m as good as him.” He was staring at the floor now.

The dark haired girl’s expression softened. “I think just the fact you’re trying so hard proves that.” She said, in a more gentle tone. “You’re not a bad person, Bede. I didn’t even know you apologized!”

He looked at her, his eyes implying confusion. “What did you think I’d even want to talk to him about?” He asked. There was nothing else he’d ever wanted to tell Hop more than the word “sorry.”

Marnie smirked, crossing her arms and shrugging a bit. “I don’t know, perhaps ye’d confess yer undyin’ love for him~” she mocked. “I’m kidding.”

“You better be. That’s weird,” he replied.

“Well…” Marnie started again, the teasing tone in her voice dissipated entirely. “If it’s really that important to you, I can help out as well. Not like I had a choice in the first place,” she sighed. “So what’s yer plan, fairy boy?”

The second she asked, Bede took her by the sleeve of her black leather jacket and silently lead the both of them out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be twice as long, but I just decided to split it to be more consistent since it was already getting a bit lengthy haha. Get ready for a bunch of Gloria scenes in the next chapter!! I really wanted to write Bede and Marnie because I love them a lot, and I wanted to give Bede the redemption he deserved <3


	6. It’s allowed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede and Marnie try (emphasis on try) to influence the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo hop fandom! I’m so sorry I sort of went MIA there, I promise I haven’t forgotten about you guys! I’ve been trying to help my parents out because the pandemic has affected their jobs, but I’ve been recovering from surgery at the same time ;;  
I do apologize for the incredibly slow update. I will try my best to get the next one out ASAP to make up for it!  
With that said, please enjoy reading <3
> 
> \- Ruru-chan

The living room had a warm atmosphere, a scene that didn’t occur too often. Everything felt so harmonious, yet so real; like the feeling of being around family in the midst of snow and holiday lights, and in a way, it was just that. They were always so busy, running gyms, doing research, traveling. But here they were, all together in this moment, their ridiculously contrasting personalities confined in a single space.

Upon entering the room, Bede and Marnie could hear a high-pitched “this is so good!” from Sonia, followed by a hush from a focused Nessa who sat closely next to her, sharing her earbuds and staring at the screen. The water gym leader’s attention didn’t shift from Sonia’s rotomphone when she softly said “this might be your best one so far, Piers.” When Marnie took over Spikemuth’s gym, it gave her older brother more time to focus on his musical career. His popularity quickly skyrocketed, so he was even more booked than during his time as a gym leader. It wasn’t all that unusual for him to show his song demos to Nessa, who had a really good ear, and Sonia, who constantly streamed his songs in the lab. She’d never been a huge fan of that kind of music genre, but in due time she learned Piers’ entire discography (a slight obsession that was driving her young assistant crazy) and frequently spoke to him about new lyrics and fun melodies.

Bea, who is usually too occupied training in the wild area or practicing her fighting technique, just “doesn’t have time to go to these parties.” Hop was well aware of this, so he decided to simply take advantage of the only weak spot he knew she had. And just like that, with a single “hey Bea, can you take me to Gloria’s surprise party” from Allister, she caved. Which somehow brought her here, discussing battle strategies with Leon and Gordie, and keeping a careful eye on the little ghost enthusiast to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble. She had to give the “little professor,” as she called him, credit, though. It was refreshing to loosen up sometimes, and Hop made her feel like she could do so unapologetically.

On the other side of the couch, Milo, Kabu, Raihan, and Melony were talking about next year’s gym challenge and already placing their bets on who was going to battle Gloria in the finals. The dragon leader wasn’t too bitter over not getting to beat Leon, but there’s no way he was going to hold back on the person that took that from him.

Melony giggled softly, immediately followed by “May I remind you, dearest Raihan, that out of everyone in this room, I’m the only one who has never lost to you in battle? The championship will clearly be mine,” she said.

“Not if I get to you first,” snarked Kabu, his tone as stern as usual with a teasing underlayer. “I’ve one-shotted your team in the past and I’ll one-shoot it again.”

“Haha, Kabu! I didn’t know you were such a fan of jokes,” she spoke back sharply, “but it turns out you’re quite the comedian! You’ll be in for a surprise when my wonderful Gigantamax Lapras wipes the floor with your Centiskorch.” Her remarks brought out a side of the fire gym leader that didn’t come out too often, igniting a back-and-forth of sarcastic comments and playful banter.

Watching the older gym leaders banter made Milo a bit nervous, even if it was just a joke. They were… scary. Raihan was used to this by now, and he paid no mind to it. Both gym leaders knew each other really well, well enough to be aware of their weak points. If they really wanted, they could push on each other’s buttons and make this into a real argument, but this time they were mostly messing around.

And of course, in the middle of the couch, sat the most important pair at the party. It really did not matter how many people were in the room with them, for they always found a way to talk because they only had eyes for each other. The two somehow never ran out of things to talk about.

This time, Hop was curious about the several books he found in Gloria’s room about Pokémon battle strategies and abilities. It was no secret that her style was… brash. Ironically for someone with her appearance, Gloria prided herself on winning league tournaments and beating gyms purely with brute force. During their gym challenge, the hours she spent in the wild area were endless, constantly throwing herself into max raid battles to get as much experience as she could. She was always striving to over level her Pokémon just a bit with the goal of having the upper hand in battle, and she used type matchups to her advantage to easily one shot her opponents (which is something that amazed Hop at the beginning). To him, it seemed contradictory how she knew all about abilities and moves but never used them. Hop had been the more intellectual out of the duo ever since they met, even if he was impulsive and ran into situations without thinking. His memory was really impressive, He was good at using moves that would raise his Pokémon’s stats, and he loved researching natures and abilities and using them to his advantage. However, before he could even begin a move combo, Gloria’s ridiculously overpowered Pokémon took his team out. She was pretty mellow, but she was also a ruthless trainer, and the messiest strategist he’d ever met.

She was explaining her “strategy” (or lack thereof) to him, speaking about her team’s moveset, and how she found stat boosting moves terribly boring. Gloria preferred battles full of strong attacks and action; she couldn’t stand when it was just slowly whittling away at her opponent’s HP. Hop was entirely too distracted by her to even listen to what she was saying; the way her hands eagerly gestured to help her explain her point, how she swung her feet because she was just a little bit too short (shorter than most girls her age) to fully reach the ground.

He nodded, grinning lovingly because her hair was almost long enough to touch her shoulders and her voice was so energetic and sweet he wanted to listen to it forever and the way she grinned made her nose scrunch and oh my goodness she was adorable and hey look it’s Bede and Marnie and the way she gracefully turned her head when she saw them walking closer and her confused look when Bede took her hand and-

Wait.

Why is Bede holding Gloria’s hand.

Why is Bede holding my Gloria’s hand.

“H-hey guys!” she spoke, giving them a puzzled expression, “I was just talking with Hop about-”

Without even saying a word, Bede pulled her by her hand and off the couch, preparing himself to lead both girls out of the living room.

Hop gaped at him, “Uh? Excuse me? We’re literally having a conversation, what are-”

But he was interrupted by a quick glance from Bede, who rolled his eyes. The fairy trainer let go of Marnie’s hand and grabbed Gloria’s right wrist, and then he interlaced his fingers with hers.

Gloria blushed, and so did Hop; however, he couldn’t protest, because she was standing right there, and she can’t know he’s jealous.

So instead, he was left speechless, feeling terribly betrayed by the person that just ten minutes ago he’d called a good friend. Bede quite literally stole his girl, leaving the room after looking at Hop with a knowing smirk. Marnie followed closely, a smug smile spread across her lips because she finally understood that Bede knew exactly what he was doing.

~~~

It wasn’t until she was sitting on the stairs after being instructed by Bede to do so that Gloria broke the silence.

“What was that all about? I was in the middle of a discussion with Hop? You can’t just pull me out of the room?” She seemed genuinely angry, her brow was furrowed, and her arms were folded across her chest.

Marnie was equally as confused; Bede hadn’t spoken a word since they left the kitchen, and she had no idea what he was plotting.

He stood in front of Gloria and stared her down, slightly squinting his eyes as if he was analyzing each one of her freckles. He half hummed half grunted, and then in a completely unironic and casual tone of voice, he asked:

“Do you love Hop?”

Not even a second went by before his head was mercilessly whacked by the side of Marnie’s hand.

Bede flinched in pain, shrieking like a Raticate. “Ow, what was that for?!” he complained, as he rubbed through his fluffy, platinum hair.

Marnie facepalmed. “Are ye serious? Are you kidding me? You’re so stupid,” she reprimanded, pulling at his ear. “Too direct! Way too direct! You can’t just start off with that, yet now here we are,” she whispered into his ear, carefully making sure that Gloria couldn’t hear what she was saying.

But the girl wasn’t even concerned; she looked like she was soaring through a daydream in a universe of her own. Her eyes fluttered, her index finger twirling around her short hair, a habit she unintentionally picked up from Sonia. That question made her remember a lot of things she loved to think about, from the time Hop taught her how to tie her shoes to the days they camped together during their gym challenge because they had time to spare. She smiled, humming to herself, before giving an answer Bede and Marnie didn’t see coming.

“Yeah, of course I love Hop! He’s my best rival, my best friend, one of the most impo-”

And then the two sighed, because of course Gloria didn’t understand the question, and of course she’d be oblivious enough to confuse love for rivalry.

Marnie let go of Bede’s face and made her way to the spot next to her on the stairs, putting her hand on Gloria’s shoulder and smiling gently.

“Hey Glo, you know you’re a great friend, right?”

“Ah~ thank you, Marnie!”

“And you know I care about you a lot, right?”

“I care about you too,” she spoke sweetly, and it almost made the dark-type gym leader feel bad for what she was about to say.

Her soft turquoise eyes turned sharp.

“But my goodness, you’re so stupid. Look, I think yer lovely, but watchin’ you be this dense is makin’ me lose more brain cells than I can produce,” she barked. “He’s not askin’ if ye love him, Gloria,” Marnie said, bringing her hand up to her forehead, “he’s asking if you’re in love with Hop. And by the looks of it you-” her words were cut off by Bede lightly kicking her shin.

An electric cramp shot up her body, making her shudder. “The heck are you doin’?!” Marnie yelled at him, dramatically holding onto her leg even though it didn’t even hurt her that bad. “Haah, that felt terrible…” she whined.

He grabbed her shoulders, “Everything was going according to plan, why are you stepping in now?”

“Wait, you had a plan? To me it just seemed like you mindlessly dove into the most straightforward situation,” she replied snarkily.

Bede snarled, “Oh, so I guess now I’m the one being too straightforward? You literally just went right ahead and asked her the most direct and sudden question anyone could ask!”

She gaped at him. “You. Asked. The same. Thing. She just didn’t understand it!”

“Oh, a shocker, truly,” he said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, “that was the whole point. It’s none of our business to know the answer, I just figured she’d misunderstand the question at first before overthinking it, you know, like she does with everything. Gloria would’ve thought about that for a while and then eventually figured out that she does like him. It would’ve been an easier way for her to understand the way she feels toward him without us having to interfere directly. Man, it was the perfect plan! I even tried to get Hop jea-”

Marnie interrupted, looking at him in complete amazement. She seemed like she had just seen him pull off a move combo no one had ever done before. “Ye came up with this, but you couldn’t tell me what you were doing?”

“Hm?” his eyes widened, “I thought I did?”

“No, fairy boy, you didn’t say a word when you lead me out of the kitchen. Quite a big oversight on your master plan, don’t ya think?”

He groaned, lightly tapping his knuckles against his forehead in frustration, “I’m sorry, I guess I really did forget to tell you what the plan was in the first place…” his voice was soft this time. It was a genuine apology, and saying sorry to Marnie was much easier than to anyone else.

“Ah~ don’t worry too much, ‘kay? Just let me know what you’re trying to do next time, it seemed like a pretty decent plan! You knew what you were doing, but I wasn’t aware that you had something elaborate in mind… I didn’t mean to mess you up like that!” And she smiled, because she knew he was trying his best to be nicer, and it was working.

The pair’s short reconcile was abruptly cut short by a clap.

“I’m still here, you know,” said Gloria, who was sitting right next to Marnie.

Both of them turned their faces towards her at the same time.

“Ah.”

She frowned, blushing slightly, “But still…” her sigh was soft, looking away shyly, “you can’t just ask me something like that!” she whined, covering her cheeks with her face and feeling heat.

“Oh, Gloria! We didn’t mean to pry into your business like that,” Bede said, bowing slightly because she seemed so embarrassed.

“It’s okay. I just… the more I think about it, the more I remember things, the more I feel like…” A pause.

“I… I don’t know,” the way she said it made it seem like she was surprised. “I don’t know what I feel like.”

Marnie looked back up at her, “Do you want us to help? Maybe we could figure it out together.”

Fidgeting with the pink bow on her dress, Gloria puffed her cheeks. “Yeah. Yeah! That would be nice, I think,” her voice was so much more gentle than usual. “I trust you guys a lot.”

Bede sat across the step below the two girls, resting back against the wall. “Well,” he spoke, “why don’t you try to describe how you feel? We can go from there.”

“Alright!” she said earnestly, and her heart was warm because her friends were trying their best to help her understand.

And man, did she go into detail about everything. Bede and Marnie shot quick glances at each other as she described her feelings, her memories. Like how her chest got a little bit tighter every time he looked at her.

“I want him to look at me all the time.”

Or how important seeing his smile was. He was always grinning about something, and it completely brightened the mood each time. She could never get tired of something like that.

“His smile is so sweet and bubbly and… it makes me happy. Seeing him happy.”

Gloria didn’t have an outstanding memory. She was quick to forget directions or grocery shopping lists, and often opted for writing things down instead. But somehow, she remembered all of her childhood memories impressively vividly. She told them about the first time she managed to climb a tree by herself. It was a fairly sturdy tree near her garden, and she climbed to the very top of it to sit on her roof with Hop. It became common for people to see them stargazing from Gloria’s roof on summer nights, because the breeze was cool, and the skies were clear, and everything seemed to be just about them. They’d bring their favorite blankets and ice cream and get lost in conversation, talking about anything and everything. Hop seemed to be well informed on constellations, and he got super pumped whenever a wishing star soared through the night sky. She adored listening to him ramble on about what Wooloo did that morning, or what match he saw on the telly, or the kind of curry he learned how to make. The times where she could just sit and relax next to him were her favorite, yet it was so difficult now because of the Gym Challenge.

“You know, whenever we’d be together like that, I felt like I could forget anything that was troubling me. He’s just that fun to be around!”

There was no air pollution in Postwick, and the stars shone brighter than anywhere else.

“But I still found myself thinking that he was brighter than any star.”

And as personal as she may think it is, Gloria told them about how she believed the championship was something Hop deserved far more than she did.

“You two have battled him before! You know he’s an incredible trainer… he’s so skilled! He looks so cool when he’s in a match, too!”

She described how, recently, she felt like things had begun to change. Nothing too noticeable, but she’s started to notice things about Hop she had never noticed before. He was a constant nighthawk, the thought of him creeping up on her when she was by herself.

“We’ve been friends for a while now. Most of our lives! But for some reason, these days, every hug feels more…”

A pause.

“Weird?” Gloria said, resting her face on her hand, “I’m not quite sure how to explain it…”

Her cheeks were tainted a rosy pink, her face becoming even hotter, “Well… I want it to happen more often. I want him to hug me more. Is that a weird thing to say?”

Marnie’s lips curved upward, “I think…” she said, turning her head over to Bede, who nodded knowingly. She continued, “I think that you’re confusing what you think is friendship for something more.”

The champion scratched at her jawline, blushing a vivid shade of pink, “I see. I’m just… not sure. The more I think about it, the nicer being with him sounds! I want to see his smile more.”

She inhaled, averting her eyes and frowning slightly, “But I don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to risk ruining a lifelong friendship… Hop is truly all I have. I can’t afford to lose him because of my own selfishness… I don’t want to hurt him again.”

Bede pat her head gently enough that it wouldn’t mess up her hair, and he tried his best to comfort her. “Don’t say that, Glo! You’re great, I’m sure he feels the same way.”

And Marnie snickered, because she knew that Bede knew that they both knew that Hop did, indeed, feel the same way.

“What? No way! Hop would never like me like that!”

“But you like him like that, correct?” said Bede.

“N-no, well I mean-” Gloria became increasingly more flustered, the pitch in her voice a little higher and her eyes a little wider. Finally, she sunk her face into her hands, inhaling sharply as she realized the truth her heart knew all along; “Yes, Bede. I do. And I am absolutely certain of it. I think I’ve known for a while now, it’s just easier to deny it and shut it away than to accept that I’ve fallen in love with my best friend.” In a way, it felt refreshing to finally say that out loud.

“How could lying to yourself be the better option?” He asked back, “That can’t be good for you.”

“I continued to tell myself that the way I felt was just a friend thing, until eventually, I believed that those feelings were simply platonic. I just don’t want to hurt him again. I can’t.”

Marnie flicked Gloria’s shoulder, and her voice was soft when she spoke. “Yer allowed to feel, you know. Glo, you’re always thinking about how your actions are going to impact other people. Maybe you should think about yourself sometimes. This isn’t a bad thing, and you’re not going to hurt him. It’s gonna be fine!”

“Yeah… Yeah!”

And in that moment, Gloria’s heart grew a bit, because she was allowed to feel the way she did and love the one she loved. It wasn’t a selfish feeling, according to her friends; and that was so liberating.

“Well… what should I do now?” she asked.

Bede smiled. “What do you want to do now?”

She thought about it for a second. What she wanted to do most right now was tell him. Tell him that she wanted him to pull her close and never let go. Tell him that she wanted to feel his face with her hands and stare into his eyes. Tell him that every moment they spent together meant the world to her.

Tell him that she was in love with him.

“Ye wanna tell him, don’t ye?” Marnie’s question snapped Gloria back into reality. “You’re a very straightforward kind of person, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Yeah!” Bede added, “if you tell him and it goes well, you’ll be able to stop worrying about it before you leave for Wyndon, but if you do mess up and ruin your decade of friendship with the closest and most important person in your life, you won’t have to see him again for months! A win-win, if you ask me,” he smiled, and for a moment, Marnie wondered if he was joking or not.

“No pressure!” she ended with a giggle.

Gloria knew that they were mostly messing around at this point, but she couldn’t help but worry about Wyndon. How would that work for them? Theoretically, if they did end up together, they’d both be so busy and so far away.

But then she remembered that this is Hop we’re talking about, and if it’s with him, it’s all going to work out.

“Thank you both. For everything. You two are wonderful friends, I’m so happy I could trust you with this!”

And with that, Gloria’s heart was set on Hop, and Gloria’s mind was set on letting him know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love them so much TT
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this! I love writing this fic a lot, Postwickshipping is my favorite pairing ever! Thanks so much for sticking around even after such a long hiatus <3


	7. Lied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think about her when I’m not even thinking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys~~ 
> 
> Long time no see!!! I hope everyone’s staying safe. I apologize for how delayed updates have been ;; since they’re longer now, it’s a bit harder to update as frequently! I hope you understand. 
> 
> Thank you so much for your continued support. I hope you enjoy reading!
> 
> -ruru

“We should really get going now,” said Bea, “Allister needs to be back home by nine o’clock. Thank you so much for having us.” Hop smiled as she bowed politely, softly exhaling an “of course” and watching Gloria wave goodbye as they left the house. Melony, Gordie, and Kabu followed soon after, but not before congratulating Gloria on her championship one more time and thanking Hop for hosting the event. 

When it was time for her to leave, Marnie tightly hugged Gloria and wished her the best of luck, not just because she was moving to a huge city soon, but because she was going to tell Hop. She thankfully returned the hug, hoping that Marnie could perhaps feel how happy she was to have a friend like her.

Once that was over, Marnie gave Hop a fist bump, jokingly saying “good luck,” and he wondered if she knew something he didn’t. 

“Sorry, I had to get my phone charger,” Bede said softly as he carefully made his way towards the front door. 

Sonia was carrying plates to the kitchen, but she didn’t hesitate to ask from inside if Bede needed a ride home. “I wouldn’t want you to go back to Ballonlea by yourself, especially when it’s this dark out.”

He bowed, refusing thankfully. “I’m staying over at Marnie’s place tonight, but I appreciate your concern,” he said kindly.

As he joined his friend and Piers, he waved goodbye to everyone, but not before saying “good luck” to Hop and Gloria.

And Hop, again, wondered what in Arceus’ name these two knew that he didn’t.

Milo and Nessa left together last, and they were barely out the door when Sonia started cleaning up. There wasn’t much around, but she wanted to make sure the place was as tidy as possible before she left. Gloria quickly offered to help, to which Sonia responded with “No! This is your party, Glo, the least I can do is help clean around. You should hang out with Hop and everyone!” the younger girl blushed, a soft and gentle smile painting her lips. She plopped down on the living room couch across from Raihan, and Hop quickly came to her side. 

He smiled, and started moving to sit next to her before hesitating and abruptly stopping. Gloria looked at him with a confused glance in her eyes, which he picked up on. “Oh! Don’t worry, I think I just left something upstairs. I’ll be back in a minute!”

Raihan chuckled as he watched Hop awkwardly shuffle upstairs, grinning as he knew the kid was definitely up to something. Gloria subconsciously tilted her head to the side in curiosity, wondering what was up. She was going to ask, but her train of thought was interrupted by Leon walking into the living room dragging Sonia by her wrist.

“Leon! I’m not done putting plates away,” she protested.

He snickered, “That can wait! We never get to spend time together like this, let’s hang out before we have to work again.” 

The professor smiled gently, closing her eyes. “I guess you’re right…” she sat down next to Gloria and thankfully received a soda can from Leon. 

“Well…” Raihan started, lowering his drink down on the table, “did you have fun?” 

Gloria’s cheeks puffed up with an eager smile. “Of course! Thank you guys… so much. For being here for me and making me feel so loved. I feel so special!” 

“Awww, Glo!” Sonia squealed, tightly hugging her. “You know we’re always here to support you. You're truly our pride and joy.”

Leon’s lips curved upward. “I’m glad you even found time to talk with your friends! You guys are all pretty busy and whatnot, it’s great they were able to make it.”

And then Gloria’s cheeks became a little warmer as she remembered her conversation with Bede and Marnie, and Leon’s comment pushed her into a spiral of thoughts about how was she going to tell Hop how she truly felt about him. She was thinking of him again, of how his golden eyes were bright enough to liven up an entire room, and how her heart skipped a beat whenever she heard his voice. She wanted him to hug her again, because she’d just now realized that she felt safer in his arms than anyone else’s. Maybe it’s the fact that the pair grew up together and she knew him better than he knew himself, or perhaps it’s because they’re entering the age in which feelings like these are a normal thing. Whatever it was, she knew that the way she felt was what people would commonly define as “love,” and she couldn’t wait until the next time she’d see his cheery smile and his shiny eyes.

“Glo-ri-a!” said Raihan, lightly flicking her forehead with every syllable in her name to interrupt her daydream. 

She sprang her posture upwards, putting her hands on the hemline of her dress and delicately placing her feet next to each other. “Ah! I’m sorry, I was totally zoned out!” she giggled, scratching her blushed cheek and trying to hide the embarrassment.

Raihan smiled, “Sonia was going to say something, but you looked like you were on another planet~” he chuckled.

The professor leaned back on her seat, extending her arm forward to look at her turquoise manicure. Although her nails were usually immaculate anyways, she took the time to repaint them just for the party. 

An exhale.

“Hop… is good,” she said in an unusually sentimental way, “he’s been planning this for a while. You know, he really wanted to make you happy today.” 

Gloria blushed.  _ He definitely succeeded, _ she thought,  _ he’s truly the most thoughtful.  _

“That was so sweet of him~” Sonia said, plopping down onto the couch and twirling her hair with her index finger. “Must be nice to have a childhood friend that cares about you that much, unlike some other people I know,” she smirked sarcastically, shooting a look to Leon and Raihan who sat across from her.

The younger girl laughed, “it feels great, thanks for asking,” she took a sip of her drink, grimacing at how fizzy it was.

“By the way,” Sonia hummed, “where  _ is  _ Hop?”

“He went upstairs a while ago,” Raihan’s deep voice replied, “said he left something in his room or something,” he shrugged. “Now that you mention it, he’s been gone for a while.”

Abruptly, the man stood up.

“Sooooo… I’m gonna go get him!” he said, throwing up a peace sign as he walked to the staircase with his other hand in his hoodie pocket.

As he walked up the steps, he contemplated running into the room to scare Hop, but he ended up scrapping the idea and resorted to just putting up his dragon hood instead. He walked to his bedroom door, gently opened it, and poked his head inside.

“Yo,” he said, a curious expression lighting his face.

Hop was sitting on his bed, facing the wall. His jacket sat on the floor, his room was as messy as it was usually, even more now that he was home more often. He was hunched over something, but Raihan couldn’t see exactly what it was. 

The younger boy turned around, and upon seeing Raihan, quickly grabbed his jacket and draped it over whatever was behind him.

“Raihan! H-hello,” he said nervously, trying so hard to sound casual it was obvious he was up to something.

The taller man’s fairly intimidating figure approached closer, until he reached the end of the bed and sat on the floor next to it. He looked up at Hop.

“I wanna see.”

“Huh? See what?” 

“I wanna see what you’re hiding behind you, under the jacket,” he said, tilting his head to the side and trying to look.

“Behind me? There’s nothing behind me! Absolutely nothing to see here,” he let out an awkward giggle.

But Raihan just looked silently as whatever Hop was hiding slowly rolled out from under the jacket and off the bed. It was very small, barely bigger than his fist, and the young boy could only watch in horror as Raihan’s eyes lit up.

“This is the greatest day of my life,” the dragon gym leader whispered in delight upon seeing it, a grin spread all the way across his face, “they grow up so fast~”

Absolutely taken over by embarrassment, Hop hurried over to the spot on the floor next to Raihan, holding the now uncovered secret on his palms and blushing a bright shade of red. 

He sighed, scratching his head and tapping his hands to his cheeks. “Do you think it’d be weird?” he asked shyly, gently letting the Applin jump down onto the rug.

“I’m sure Gloria’s gonna love him,” Raihan said, putting his hand closer to the Pokémon and letting it inspect it. The Applin was quick to hop on the gym leader’s hand, snuggling his palm. “Man, I have the softest spot for these little guys…” 

Hop shifted in surprise, “I never told you about Gloria.”

“I figured you liked her. Like, a really long time ago.”

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who’ve told me the same thing,” Hop exhaled, bringing his head to rest on his hand and smiling softly.

Raihan grinned knowingly. 

“So now that we’re here…” he said, moving closer to the boy, “when are you telling her?”

“I was hoping tonight, but I just now realized I’m not prepared at all…” Hop’s voice was so much more quieter than usual; he wanted to make sure no one downstairs could hear him. “I have to soon, before she leaves. For my own good! I feel like I’m going crazy…” he giggled quietly.

“How come?” Raihan asked. At some point, the two grew close enough to be able to completely trust each other with questions like these. Hop thought of Raihan as the “cool in-law,” the one who would get him snacks behind Leon’s back and would take him places on his Flygon. They’d bond over their similar interests, as well as team up to prank the former champion. 

Hop thought about it for a second, trying to organize his thoughts because there was just so much to say about her. About Gloria.

“She’s on my mind a lot. All the time. I think about her when I’m making tea, when I hear music, and when I’m about to sleep,” he paused for a moment, his eyes focused on the Applin as it rolled around on the floor,

“I think about her when I’m not even thinking.” 

Hearing that made Raihan emotional. It hurt his heart to know that there would be such a huge distance between the pair, because what Hop said felt so real and so pure and so true. 

“And you know, Rai, I wish I didn’t feel like this. She’s just… so wonderful! And I’m not sure I deserve anyone like that. I’m just gonna slow her down…”

Raihan frowned and pinched Hop’s cheek. “Hey, you don’t talk about yourself like that. You know Piers doesn’t like it. Besides, that’s just not true at all! Gloria cares about you a lot, dude. I see her a lot recently, for league stuff and just training in general, but when she’s around you, that’s a whole different kind of happy. Hop, you make her so happy.”

Even if his self esteem wouldn’t let him believe something like that, hearing those words come from someone he admired so much meant a lot to Hop. Although he hated admitting it, watching his friends become gym leaders made him feel like he was falling behind; and such a feeling really takes a toll on someone’s confidence. 

A silence stuck around between them. It was oddly difficult to find words at a time like this, and sometimes staying quiet means more than talking nonsense.

“Hey Raihan…” the boy began to talk softly. “Did you know Gloria doesn’t like soda? She says the fizz burns her tongue. But she still drinks it anyway, because she likes the lemon flavor.”

“That sounds a lot like her.”

“I know, right? The funniest part is I have to pour it in a cup or give her a straw, because she can’t drink out of a can. She ends up spilling it all over herself,” he laughed. “But the point is, maybe I’m like that, too. I don’t like feeling like this at all. My chest gets tight and my face feels so warm every time she’s around, and I can’t tell her because I don’t want to make her uncomfortable; but I still use any excuse to be around her anyways because she makes me so happy.”

Raihan shook his head, “No, I think both are different. If Gloria really wanted to, she could just stop drinking soda entirely, and, I don’t know, eat a lemon or something. She’s just stubborn. But for you…”

He paused, and Hop felt a more serious aura emanating from him that he hadn’t seen in quite a while.

“For you, that’s not the case. You’re in love, Hop, and you don’t get to choose or control that.”

He held the Applin in his hand, and for a moment, he almost looked sad. Perhaps it pained him to know that someone so important to him was going through something so similar, so real.

“I’ve been in your shoes before. But it turns out that no matter how hard I tried to stop feeling that way, it all stays the same. When I tried to suppress that emotion, it just got so much stronger.”

It’s not like Hop was uncomfortable talking to Raihan about something like this, in fact, it was quite the opposite; he needed someone to tell him that he had to stop trying so hard to not be the person he was. “Huh. That’s deep.”

Raihan snorted, before breaking out into laughter. It made Hop laugh as well.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” the taller man said between giggles, “I haven’t talked about something serious like this in a while…” 

Hop smiled.

“I didn’t think of you as the type to know so much about this, Rai.”

“You’d be surprised. I can be pretty smart when I want to~” he smirked. “Where’d u get the Applin, anyway? It’s really cute!”

After a brief pause, Hop stood up and sat on the bed. He unplugged his phone and took it from the spot where it was sitting on the bedside table, next to his lamp. “Let’s see…” he said quietly, opening the Pokédex app and scrolling a couple of times. His pensive attitude took Raihan by surprise; the young boy was finally starting to look just like a professor.

“Ah! Found it! According to the dex, I caught the little guy around a month ago, in Route 5. I’ve… kept it in the lab for a while.”

Raihan’s brow furrowed with curiosity. “Why didn’t you evolve it or train it or something if you caught it that long ago?” 

Something about that question set off a fuse in Hop’s brain, and he realized that maybe his crush on Gloria went way farther back than he remembered. When he caught the Applin, as much as he’d want to deny it, he was definitely thinking of her. Maybe he’d kept it for that long just in case, a subconscious thought telling him he’d need it later— and he did. The exhilarating thrill of catching a new Pokémon, the rapid beats of his heart were beating all for her, even way back then, and maybe even much before. When did all of this start? He wondered aimlessly. 

It wasn’t as bad before, but at some point he began to grow upset when she’d pay more attention to other boys. He wanted to make her smile, to hear that laughter of hers echo just for him and him alone. Jealousy, as he’d heard that been called in the past. It was not something he felt until she came along.

“I want to make her happy. It makes me so happy,” he said bashfully, so unaware of just how emotional a sentence like that made Raihan feel. 

It wasn’t just he opportunity to do something he’s passionate about and being the best at it that lead him to quit his pursuit of the championship. To him, what mattered most was her. And oh, did Pokémon battling make her happy.

He stared at the ceiling once more, his golden eyes shone in the dimly lit room. “Raihan, you’ve seen it, right? Her smile when she battles, when she’s using her favorite moves. She’s breathtaking.”

Hop has been energetic and over-the-top since he was a young boy, so it was only natural for his interests to change and fluctuate quite frequently. Yet for as long as he could remember, the only constant in his life was his career goal of becoming the greatest champion Galar had ever seen. Somehow, with her presence alone, Gloria had managed to completely shake up his world; and thus he decided that maybe it was time to follow a new dream.

_ Maybe her smile was that new dream. _

“She truly means everything to me,” Hop said quietly, and all Raihan did was listen to his stories and the way he spilled his feelings everywhere. 

The sheer thought of her departure resulted in an ache in his chest and a knot in his throat. He wouldn’t  _ be there _ with her. He wouldn’t be able to make her smile the way he wanted to.

“And this sucks. It sucks that I have to stay here and wait while she’s exploring the region, having the time of her life, and I’m not there.”

He so desperately wanted to be there for her, to help her through the toughest of times, and it was so crushing and frustrating to know that something as trivial as distance would get in the way of his new dream.

“ _ It feels like my dream is being torn apart from me. _ ” he finished, turning his head away to hide the blush in his cheeks that resulted from a mix of frustration, anger, and love.

“I knew it.”

A shaky voice came through the doorway, faint footsteps getting closer to the room. Hop and Raihan turned their heads around, hiding the Applin under the jacket in a reflex.

There she stood, knees trembling in frustration, bitterness tainting her voice into a tone that was so angry Raihan almost didn’t recognize it.

“I  _ knew  _ it! I knew you weren’t okay with me getting the championship, but you  _ lied _ ,” halfway through her sentence, she’d given up trying to hold back tears.

Hop’s heart sank. “Gloria, wait, you misunderst—”

“ _ You lied! _ ” she said quietly, staring at the ground as tears blurred her vision. She couldn’t look at him.

They could clearly feel the hurt in her voice. She hoped they could. “I’m sorry you have to ‘stay here and wait.’ I’m sorry you think I’m gonna ‘have the time of my life while you’re not there.’” She stopped for a second, remembering to breathe. 

“And most of all,” she spoke quietly, a voice she’d only show when she was so devastatingly upset, a tone Hop would never want to hear again, “I’m sorry for tearing everything apart from you. Do you think I enjoy this? That it’s just easy to watch myself ruin everything you care about? I know I’m terrible and I know I don’t deserve you I know. I know that.”

She paused for a moment, breathing in shakily, her face obscured from her tears and her hair, as her hands were balled up in fists and trembled beside her hips. Hop tried to speak, “Gloria, that’s not what I— I mean it sounds bad but it’s not like—”

But she interrupted again.

“You weren’t okay with this. You weren’t okay at all. And you  _ lied _ ...

You lied.”

She turned around, leaving just as fast as she walked in, leaving Raihan’s jaw on the floor and Hop’s teary eyes dumbly staring.

“She mistook it so badly,” he whispered, covering his face with his hands and dropping his line of sight to the floor.

“She’s gone.”

  
  



	8. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He knew exactly where she went.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this fic and I am so excited to show you all what’s in store. Thank you so much for reading!

“Hm? Glo, what are you thinking about?” Sonia asked playfully.

Gloria daydreamed more than usual these days, and now that she’d just figured out exactly why, it happened even more. She’d normally try to hold out from doing so in the middle of a conversation, but this time, it was so easy for her to think about him, she’d do it without even realizing it. 

She snapped back to reality once again. “Oh! Sorry, I guess I have a lot of things on my mind lately, I didn’t mean to zone out like that again…” 

Something like that wasn’t going to fool Sonia. She was too good at reading through people. “Mm~ I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is that thing on your mind, or should I say person, could that be Hop?” she hummed. 

It took Leon by surprise, that question. “Hop? Like, my little brother Hop?” he raised an eyebrow. 

Sonia laughed, “I’ve never met anyone else by that name that I could possibly be referring to.” 

Quickly, warmth rose to Gloria’s cheeks. “Hey! You can’t just say something like that out loud, Nini…” During their gym challenge, Gloria started to endearingly call her Nini, and the professor thought the nickname was so cute she wanted to keep it.

“Still…” said Leon, “I would’ve never guessed you liked my little brother.”

“Seriously?” said Sonia, laughing a bit. “I thought you were familiar with the whole ‘champion falls in love with their greatest rival’ trope~”

The young girl pouted. “Yeah. Maybe I do.” 

Leon let out a laugh, impressed as usual by Gloria’s straightforwardness. She found no use in hiding something that was true like that.

Sonia grinned, “are you gonna tell him?”

“Of course! I mean, it’s definitely nerve wracking, but I want to tell him how I feel. I’d usually be very stressed if it was someone else, but…”

“It’s Hop,” the professor finished.

“Yes. If I know it’s him, then I know it’s gonna work out. It always does!” Gloria smiled sweetly. “They’re still upstairs, right? Maybe I should ask him to talk in private…” 

A grin spread across Sonia’s face, her eyes glittering. Because she knew. She knew they both felt the same way, and that it was all going to work out. The professor cared for both of them so deeply, and her heart grew warm watching them grow together and finally talk about their feelings towards each other. 

“Right now? You’re gonna tell him like, right now?” asked Leon.

Gloria’s head tilted to the side. “I don't see why not! I’ve been sure of this for a long time, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. He deserves to know how I feel.”

Her determination took Sonia by surprise. She’d been watching Hop pine over her for so long, and listening to him plan out the perfect time to tell Gloria his feelings made her heart melt every time. It was funny to her how different the both of them were in their own ways, how well they contrasted each other’s personalities, and how badly she wanted the two to end up together.

“Good luck then! You should tell Raihan to come back down, I need his cake pop recipe~” she said.

So then, Gloria stood up, and made her way upstairs, “I’ll tell him!”

And just like that, she was gone.

Sonia turned towards Leon once the young girl left the room. “You don’t need to pretend you didn’t know,” she said.

“What? It’s more fun that way,” he said with a smile. “My acting is stellar. By the way, I can’t believe you’re losing that bet,” he said, “I definitely thought you’d win.”

She rolled her eyes, grinning. It was a while ago, when Sonia and Raihan placed bets on which one of the two was going to confess their feelings first. The professor, following her completely blind faith in her apprentice, was absolutely certain that Hop would crack first. Gloria’s straightforward attitude and bluntness naturally had Raihan thinking that  _ she _ would be the one to tell him.

“Don’t be so sure of that yet,” she said cheerfully, “I still won’t accept defeat. I believe in Hop, you know.”

The two laughed.

As she made her way upstairs, Gloria thought of exactly how she wanted to let Hop know that he had completely stolen her heart. Once she walked in, she was going to tell Raihan to leave for a second, and then tell Hop that “she had fallen in love with him” and yada yada yada. Actually, maybe not tell him in the room. Maybe go into the garden instead, since the lamps are so pretty during the night. Should she have asked Sonia for help beforehand? No, it’s more personal this way. Nerve wracking. Her hands were shaking a bit, and she was already blushing even though she hadn’t even seen him yet. A million scenarios all played inside her head, ranging from good to bad, from spectacular to absolutely disastrous. And before she knew it, she had reached the final step.

Two voices in conversation lured her closer to the doorway. It’s rude to eavesdrop on people, but she just couldn’t stop herself.

And she regretted it.

The door to Hop’s room was cracked open, and she sat down against the wall next to it to hear what they were saying. His voice was quiet, he sounded so much more vulnerable than usual. What he was saying was hard to hear, but she could make out a specific part very clearly,

“And this sucks. It sucks that I have to stay here and wait while she’s exploring the region, having the time of her life, and I’m not there.”

She could barely hear it from behind the door, but she was sure that’s what he said. That’s what Hop said.

_ Hop said that…? _

_ Ah. _

Her heart sank. 

_ It’s about me.  _ She thought to herself, her vision becoming a bit clouded.

_ Haha… of course it is. What was I thinking, trying to tell him how I feel? He hates me. I don’t even deserve to be around him and his kindness after everything I did to him. All I am is a terrible person.  _

Was it anger? Or sadness? Maybe disappointment? A mix of all of those, probably. Her thoughts spun around her mind like a storm.

_ He promised. He said there was no way I’d ever bring him down. He said he would stay by my side, forever and ever. He said that it was a promise. _

So then why was he saying these things? _He says that “this sucks,” and that he’s “not there.”_ _That’s what he said, right? I’m bringing him down and he won’t be by my side. But he told me he would. He promised._

It felt like her world was falling apart. Hop was all she had, and her biggest fear was taking from him. She was so afraid of hurting him more than she already thought she did, so for him to say this behind her back, to affirm that what she was most scared of was a reality, it was crushing.

There it was again, the little voice in the back of her mind that reminded her that she knew the championship was everything Hop ever wanted, yet she took that from him. And no matter how much time passed, her selfishness made him sad.

But she was still upset, because he said it wasn’t a problem, that he was fine with her winning. Gloria had always doubted that a bit; however, he was so insistent in it that her worry went away. And now that worry was drowning her again.

Hurt as she was, and as much as she wanted to just leave and pretend she hadn’t heard that, she couldn’t help but move a bit closer to the door, leaning her head against the wall to listen again. 

And this time, she heard it all clear:

“ _ It feels like my dream is being torn apart from me. _ ”

_ I knew it.  _

It was an subconscious movement, but before she could even collect her thoughts, her legs were walking her inside the room.

So she spilled her thoughts, she called him a liar, because she was hurt that he couldn’t even trust her as her best friend to tell her that he felt burdened by her championship. That he had to lie to her like that, to tell her that it was all okay even though it wasn’t, and that as soon as she let go of her guilt he brought it all back to her. And maybe she was mad at herself for being so oblivious as to not know what he was thinking. How dare she call herself his best friend when she didn’t even know him at all anymore. 

That’s what she thought, at least. Gloria walked out of the room, thinking from the bottom of her heart that Hop was lying to her out of pity when the reality could not be farther from that.

Once she was gone, Raihan’s palm rested on his forehead, his eyes wide in shock. “That was terrible.”

But Hop wasn’t even paying attention. He stood up abruptly, picking up his jacket and retrieving the Applin that sat under it back into his Pokéball. 

“What are you doing?” asked the gym leader, “You seem like you’re in a hurry.”

Hop stopped for a second, looking down at Raihan who still sat down. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going after her,” he seemed annoyed at the question. 

“Wouldn’t it be better to give her more time?”

“What? No, she needs reassurance right now. She’s going to overthink things like usual even though she completely misheard everything.” he paused, a bit sadly. “Do you think I’d ever say anything like that about her? All she does is support and appreciate me, she makes me the happiest in the world and I don’t want her to think otherwise.”

Raihan was moved by that. Hop was finally growing up, he seemed more serious and much more… mature. It made him a bit emotional. He got up quickly to walk out the room with him.

As soon as they reached the downstairs, Hop felt eyes on him. 

“What in the world did you do?” asked Leon, a faint trace of concern tainting his tone. 

Hop completely ignored the question. “Where is she?” The sternness in his voice made him feel like an entirely different person.

Sonia looked anxious, and her worry did not go by unnoticed when she said “She just walked out, very upset, didn’t say a word when we asked what happened. She left all of her things here, but I’m worried since it’s dark outside…” 

“That’s what I thought… This is bad. I can’t believe I- oh my god, this is all my fault-” he breathed in, he was talking too fast. “I have to find her.” 

“What? It’s dark out. You can’t run off like that, it was already irresponsible enough to let  _ her _ leave at these hours of th-” Leon protested, before being deliberately interrupted by his brother. 

Hop’s voice grew angrier. “ _ I have to find her.  _ She’s upset, and I need to talk to her so I can fix this, now please get out of my way so that I can go.” 

“Hop, don’t be childish. Just let Raihan and I take care of the situation, you don’t know the way she feels or what she might need right now. We’ll go get her,” he folded his arms across his chest.

“How do  _ you _ know what she needs right now? Are you gonna tell me that you’ve been around enough to know? You’re always so busy. If you knew anything at all you’d know that I need you to get. out. of. my.  _ way. _ ” he was raising his voice stubbornly, which was something Leon didn’t like. There were so many things he wanted to tell him, but he couldn’t. Hop loved his brother dearly, but it always felt like he was never there. He thought Sonia and Piers knew him even more than his own older brother, and that was so frustrating to think about. 

Sonia finally stepped in. She grabbed Hop’s hands comfortingly, they were so soft. 

“Hop, are you  _ okay _ ? Listen, I know you’re panicking, but it’s going to turn out fine. You’re going to find her, and you’re going to clear everything up, and it will all be alright soon, okay? Just breathe. If you need anything, call me.” The professor spoke gently, trying her best to calm her young assistant down. It hurt her to see him like that.

His eyes softened, and he let her give him a hug. “You know her the best out of all of us, and I’m sure what Gloria needs right now is for her best friend to comfort her. Now, hurry! Go!” Her smile was soft and sweet, and she gestured towards the door. He was so thankful for her guidance and her love, he hoped she could feel that.

Hop smiled at her, making his way out of the house and silently praying for Leon, because he knew Sonia was about to unleash a storm on him.

~~~

Postwick was very small. There weren’t many places where Gloria could’ve ran off, and Hop knew that even if she sprinted, she wouldn’t have made it anywhere near Wedgehurst in that short amount of time. He checked his backyard, the Wooloo fields, and was surprised when he noticed that the lights in Gloria’s house were all turned off. She wasn’t home, or in her garden, or at the farm, or in the tall grass fields. 

So then where could she have possibly gone?

It was almost like a lightbulb lit up above his head. 

He knew exactly where she went.

_ If Lee knew, he’d be livid, _ Hop thought to himself as he jumped over the Slumbering Weald’s wooden gate. It was no secret the former champion had always felt iffy about the forest, especially after the first time Hop and Gloria ventured in it and had a legendary vision. He definitely wouldn’t have let his younger brother venture in the woods at night, even less if it was by himself. 

The Slumbering Weald is already a maze in itself, so it was almost impossible to find one’s way around in the dark. Luckily, he’d been there many times before, researching the legendary Pokémon with Sonia, and he felt confident he could walk in during the night. 

He may have taken a few wrong turns, but at least he was better when it came to his sense of direction than Leon was. It didn’t run in the family, and that was something he was very thankful for. Before he knew it, after avoiding a flock of Rookidee and Skwovet, he was standing in front of the old shrine at the heart of the flourishing forest. 

At night, it felt different. The gravesite glimmered in the midst of fireflies, the stars shone through the foraged leaves and it was more solemn and tranquil than anywhere else in all of Galar. The soft sound of the quiet stream wasn’t hard to spot, even when the small croaking of nocturnal Pokémon could be heard in the distance. 

She was so beautiful. Gloria sat delicately, leaning against the grave to let her hair fall behind her ears. The moonlight made her fair skin glisten, and her now closed eyes sparkled with the reflection of the fireflies. It reminded Hop of just how infatuated with her he was. 

His footsteps made no noise, it was almost like he was floating. He walked slowly towards her, and it didn’t take too long for her to notice his presence. Her face was red, tears glittering under the stars. Once she saw him, she didn’t attempt to tell him off, or ask him to leave; instead, she sat in silence, watching as he got closer to her.

Hop quietly sat on the steps of the shrine, and then began inching closer, until he was finally next to her, leaning against the grave. Gloria made no eye contact, her mind wandered around, thinking of whatever, anything else to avoid having to look at him.

Neither of them said anything for a while. That was until Hop tried to get through to her.

He moved closer to her, and very gently booped her nose. It was something he used to do to cheer her up when they were younger, and he was hoping maybe she’d remember that. It took her by surprise, making her smile.

Seeing that, seeing her smile so sadly at this time in the night after running away from everyone made him so indescribably emotional. He took her by the waist, hugging her tightly.

His voice was shaky. “I-I was so worried about you…”

“Hop…”

“Gloria, I…  _ I’m so sorry!”  _ he said into her shoulder, squeezing her between his arms.

She hugged him back. “Hop, you have nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn’t have lashed out on you like that and made you worry. I’m really sorry,” this time, her voice was gentle and quiet.

Both of them stayed like that for a moment, until Gloria pulled away.

_ “There’s actually something else I want to talk to you about…” _


	9. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So he took a deep breath, and as his sight was still set on hers, he said the words he’d wanted to desperately say so long ago.”

“Something… else?” Hop asked, unusually flustered. He had no idea what to expect from her.

She looked sad again, averting her eyes. “You know, about what you said. What I heard. I think we need to talk about that.” her voice was a bit shaky, it was delicate and quiet.

A shiver ran down her spine. The Slumbering Weald was already a very cold place, even colder during the night. Hop immediately picked up on it.

“Alright, but first,” he said, shuffling in place to take off his wool-lined jacket, “it’s cold. Why’d you run off without your sweater? You’re gonna get sick,” he draped his coat over her, and she stuck her arms through the holes. It was embarrassing, but it was also so exciting to wear his jacket. Maybe running away had its bright side, too.

The jacket engulfed her, its wool lining brushing her cheeks. He could look at her forever, she was genuinely one of the cutest people he had ever seen. 

Both stared at each other for a while, unconsciously, unknowingly, until Hop realized how creepy it was for him to just look at her when she wore his jacket.

“Oookay,” he broke the silence, looking away. His cheeks were warm. 

She blushed as well. _ When did things like these become so awkward? _Her mind raced around, until she was able to jump back into her train of thought and find the words she was looking for.

“Hop… _ Do you think I’m a selfish person?” _

Hop’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

A selfish person? He thought it was impossible. “No. Of course I don’t.”

But all she did was smile bashfully, each word she spoke was quieter than the previous one. “I don’t want you to lie.”

“I’m not,” he moved closer to her and turned his head to face hers. “Gloria, I’m not lying.” His voice was so gentle, evidently trying his best to make her feel better.

“You know, I’ve always been… scared. Of losing you. I’m absolutely terrified of hurting you to a point where you’ll hate me,” she said.

There was so much he wanted to tell her in that moment, how there’s nothing she’s done that would make him dislike her. He loved Gloria, he was absolutely infatuated with her, and hearing her say that… it hurt. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t find the words to tell her otherwise. 

So she continued to talk.

“I love what I do. I love being a Pokémon trainer. The way I feel in the stadium, in the pitch. A rush always goes through my body before, during, and after every match… I can’t even describe it,” her enthusiasm was obvious, echoed by the energy in her voice and reflected by the sparkle in her eyes. “And I couldn’t be happier to make this my career, to be one of the youngest champions in Galar… really. Yet…” this time, her expression became empty. “I can’t stop feeling like… like it was something I should’ve left alone- something I should’ve let you have instead. Hop, you’ve been wanting this since you were a kid, and all I’ve been doing is taking this dream from you. I can’t stand my own mind, it keeps telling me that I don’t deserve you.”

Hop could tell by the look in her eyes and the shakiness and cracking of her voice that she was trying her hardest not to break into tears. He recognized her expression, it was one he saw when they were kids, when Gloria was at her breaking point but wouldn’t let anything shatter her anyway.

“I care about you. But with every battle, with every win, I felt like I was killing the light in your eyes,” her tone wavered under her breath. “I felt like you were giving up.” With her voice breaking, she finally began to let the tears fall to her cheeks.

Wiping her face with her knuckles, she said “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for ruining what you’ve been wanting forever. I guess I ran off because I was upset that you were right- it’s not fair that you’ve worked so hard only for me to take the championship and live your dream instead. I took that from you,” she ended with a whisper.

Hop was left in shock at just how… misguided she was. 

“Gloria…” he said softly, “you’re so, so wrong,” he was obviously concerned for her, but at the same time, he was trying to hold back a giggle just from the irony of it all. “You more than anyone know that I’d never give up on something that makes me happy. It’s thanks to you, Miss Galar’s Champion, that I’ve found a career plan that not only makes me even happier; but it’s also something that neither you, nor Lee, nor Marnie, nor Bede will be able to outshine me at!” he spoke energetically, clearly trying to cheer her up. It was working, sort of. 

She looked up at him, confused. “Then… what were you saying tonight to Raihan? It was about me, wasn’t it?” 

“Well, yes, but not in the way you’d think-” his words were cut off by hers. 

“If there was any reason why you’d be upset with me leaving, it’s because I knowingly took away what you wanted…” she spoke sadly.

He looked into her eyes, those eyes that glimmered in the moonlight, the ones clouded by tears and frustration. “No. I’m not mad at you at all. I’d never be frustrated with you for doing what makes you happy! It’s just—”

The soft sound of the stream remained undisturbed, and the gentle breeze shook the forest leaves in place. Above them, a gap in the foliage allowed the stars to curiously peek through, helping the fireflies light up the place. No moment could be better than now. 

So he took a deep breath, and as his sight was still set on hers, he said the words he’d wanted to desperately say so long ago.

_ “I’m in love with you, Gloria.” _

...

Her eyes were wider than ever. She wanted to tell him so many things, but when her lips parted to speak, nothing left her mouth.

He continued. “For a really long time now. I love hearing your laugh, and I love seeing you smile, and talking with you, and being around you in general,” he said, softly. It was relieving to finally say what he was thinking. “I think about you all of the time. The other day, at the lab, I put on my glasses because I knew you’d scold me for not taking care of myself if I didn’t… The solar system came up in a conversation with Sonia, and I thought of you because you mentioned Saturn was your favorite planet a while ago,” he tilted his head back, a soft smile painted on his face. “But it’s not just that. You have more faith in me than anyone else I’ve ever met, and you’re always encouraging me to be who I am. And you…” 

There was a bit of hesitation in his pause, but he went ahead anyway, “you’re the first person who’s loved me before loving Lee. Everyone I talk to always sees me as ’the champion’s little brother,’ but you never did. From the beginning, you saw me as Hop, and no one else. And I love that about you. You see people for who they are, for the best in them. Man, you’re so good. You are just… so good. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Gloria was in complete disbelief. Her body tensed up, and she looked down to her knees.

_ Did I say something wrong? _

“Glo, are you alright?” Slowly, he lowered his face to find her eyes. Her hair was in the way, obscuring her expression. “I’m sorry for dumping all of this on you so sudden-”

But the moment his face was level with hers, she moved her head up, closing any remaining distance by pressing her lips to his own.

The kiss was so fast, much like anything else with Gloria. It ended almost as quickly as it began, giving them a silence long enough for her to grasp the words she wanted to give him.

“I… I love you too. You’re all I have,” she looked into his golden eyes, curving her lips upward in a gentle smile. “... I mean it.”

He was too flustered to say anything, his face was completely red. Her directness left him completely speechless, it made his heart pound harder than ever before.

“Hop, I want you to be happy. Not just because I… you know…” she looked away, a vibrant pink painting her face. “Not _ just _ because I like you. But because I care about you more than anyone in the world! I want you to follow what makes you happy, and I don’t want to be… an obstacle.”

Trying his best to gain self composure from the loop she threw him in with that unexpected kiss, Hop shook his head at that last sentence. “You’re everything _ but _ an obstacle! Glo, you’re…”

“_ You’re my rival _. And my best friend, and you push me to be the best person I can be.”

His arm slithered around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his side. “Like I said, I don’t give up on the things that bring me joy. And pursuing the gym challenge and the championship made me happy! It did. But it also made me insecure, and it made me feel like I was falling behind. I realized that I was always in Leon’s shadow, because even though I was basically at the top, every post-match interview wasn’t about me; it was about him,” he sighed. “It was always about him.”

“Hop…”

Yet he still smiled at her, his eyes telling her not to worry. “But you know what? I’ve found that I’m actually pretty good at studying Pokémon~”

Gloria giggled. “That’s cuz you’re so smart. I could never think of anyone as good as you to help out Nini!”

“You flatter me~ but you wanna know something that makes me even happier than that?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Y-” suddenly, he stopped, averting his eyes and blushing intensely. “You. Specifically, making you happy. It brings me so much serotonin you wouldn’t even believe it.”

Now her cheeks were red, because how dare he say something so cute to her and expect her not to melt in that second.

“I’ve decided a while ago that all I want to do is see you smile. And you are… so pretty… when you battle… ah, I can’t even describe it! It looks like you were born for the stadium,” he said, “seeing the one who gives me so much strength and encouragement try her hardest in battle made me smile harder than when _ I _ battled!”

So that smile in the semifinals… it wasn’t a smile of defeat. Of course, in the moment, it looked like that to Gloria. But in his heart he was smiling because he had found what made him happier than anything.

Hop looked away. “I’m just upset that I won’t see your smile everyday anymore. I don’t want to be… in someone’s shadow again. I’m scared you’ll forget about me.”

_ “What?” _

Her heart sank. Did she really make him feel that way? 

“I… I would never,” her voice staggered. “Dude, you’re like… one of the only people I look forward to talking to!” she nudged his arm playfully, trying to comfort him.

“R-really?” 

“Of course!”

Because it was true, from the beginning, all they had was each other.

The Slumbering Weald felt like an entirely different dimension. Right now, they were the only ones to exist in this moment, with the stars shining on them like a spotlight on a stage, a scene that was just about them. A comforting silence fell upon them; they felt like there wasn’t much left to be said at that point.

That was, until Hop decided to talk.

“Alright, so about that kiss-”

“Was it too soon?” She asked, concerned.

“N-no! Of course not! ...It was nice, it’s just… that caught me very off guard,” he spoke shyly.

She smiled bashfully. “Oh, I’m sorry about that…”

“So I was wondering if you wanted to like,” his voice was even softer than before, “try… _ again? _”

The young girl let out a short cackle, “Yes.”

This time, it was different. It gave her a chance to let her heart start racing beforehand, to be happy about it. He cupped her cheek this time, letting her rest her face on it before he finally brought his face to hers. It was still as soft as one would expect, because it was theirs.

…

Gloria looked at him, “..._ again _.”

So his eyes widened, and he nodded before proceeding to plant one more kiss on her lips. 

She smiled, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder; he could feel the fluff of his own wool-lined jacket brushing against his neck. He pulled her closer by the waist.

“Wait! I almost forgot, I… I got you something?” Hop spoke.

“Hm~? You did?”

Without saying another word, he pulled away from the curious Gloria and searched his pockets. Once he found the Pokéball, he gently placed it on her hand.

It was always exciting to receive a new Pokémon, and she looked ecstatic to reveal what it was. Impatiently, the young girl let the creature out, only to be met with a shiny little Applin sitting in front of her.

Her expression changed completely. She shot a couple of wide-eyed glances at Hop, profusely blushing.

“Oh my goodness, he’s perfect!” she said, cupping the round Pokémon with her hands. “I love him so much… thank you. When did you catch him?” 

“Um, I wanna say maybe after I got the water badge? I can’t say for sure, it wa-”

“What?!” she interrupted, “that long ago? You… _ you’ve liked me for that long?” _

He scratched the back of his neck. “I mean… maybe? Probably. I just didn’t… know. If you told me that I’ve liked you my entire life, and I gave it some solid thought, I’d probably agree.”

“Me too…” she said softly, playing with the Applin. “Wait a minute, what in the world took us so long?” 

They giggled.

“You’re saying I could’ve kissed you so much sooner? This is tragic,” Hop said.

She responded by hugging him again. “Still I’m… so happy. That you feel the same way. I love you a lot.”

“I- I love you too, Glo.”

“And we should really get back home because it is now very late and I fear Nini is going to lecture us both,” she pulled away, retrieving the Applin into his Pokéball. Hop helped her get on her feet, and just like that, they left the grave site and were making their way back home. 

Yet now, they came back differently, with the feelings they thought were completely unrequited, returned.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cool so they finally kissed, and it only took them 30k words! Next chapter will be the last. Thank you for your patience and support 💕


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